Recent field expeditions to the southern Andes of Ecuador have led to the discovery of three new species of Anetanthus (Gesneriaceae). Anetanthus condorensis and Anetanthus pendens are sympatric and endemic to the Cordillera del Cóndor, while a third species, Anetanthus zamorensis, is endemic to the eastern Andean slopes of southern Ecuador. Anetanthus belongs to the small subtribe Anetanthinae and is the sister clade to the larger and more diverse subtribe Besleriinae. Although previously considered a monotypic genus, Anetanthus has often been overlooked due to its small, herbaceous habit and isolated localities on sandstone outcrops throughout South America. The species described here increase the number of recognized Anetanthus species from three (including one subspecies) to six. Preliminary conservation assessments based on IUCN Red List criteria support the classification all three new species as Least Concern (LC).
