revealing hidden biodiversity: novel insights on reptile and amphibian distribution in western Ecuador

We present notable distributional updates for 14 species from western Ecuador (seven amphibians and seven reptiles). Our findings include the northernmost confirmed sighting of Pristimantis kuri (Yánez-Muñoz et al. 2016) and the southernmost documented record of Imantodes inornatus (Boulenger 1896) and Lepidoblepharis buchwaldi (Werner 1910). Additionally, we document new records and notes on the distribution range of Agalychnis spurrelli (Boulenger 1913), Hyloscirtus alytolylax (Duellman 1972), Engystomops montubio (Ron et al. 2004), Pristimantis muricatus (Lynch and Miyata 1980), Pristimantis nyctophylax (Lynch 1976), Pristimantis walkeri (Lynch 1974), Chironius flavopictus (Werner 1909), Chironius grandisquamis (Peters 1869), Dendrophidion graciliverpa (Cadle 2012), Ninia schmidti (Arteaga and Harris 2023), and Urotheca fulviceps (Cope 1886). These observations significantly contribute to filling information gaps in our understanding of these species' distributions. The data, derived..., The data was collected during scientific exploratory expeditions in ten tropical forests in western Ecuador, from January 2014 to December 2023, utilizing non-systematic sampling, a search that was both free and unrestricted, visual recordings, and manual capture methods (Rödel and Ernst 2004). According to the Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador (2013), four of the ten forests sampled presented a seasonal foothill evergreen forest of the western Cordillera de Los Andes; these sites were: 1) The Cerro de Hayas Provincial Natural Recreation Area (camp point: 2° 43' 50.9'' S, 79° 37' 43'' W, alt. 120 m), in the foothills of the Molleturo-Mollepungo mountain range, Naranjal canton, Guayas province, Ecuador. Cerro de Hayas is a private reserve that protects 631 ha of forests in mountainous landscapes with streams and waterfalls. 2) Rancho Alemán (Camp point: 2° 20' 13.6'' S, 79° 12' 46.8'' W, alt. 235 m), in the western foothills of the Cordillera de Los Andes, El Triunfo canton, Guayas pro..., , # Data from: revealing hidden biodiversity: novel insights on reptile and amphibian distribution in western Ecuador

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.kh18932dw](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.kh18932dw)

This dataset provides the location of the new records reported in the manuscript and the historical data collections that were used to compare and conclude our research. Altitude is given when available, otherwise, we have included NA.