We describe Cistothorus apolinari hernandezi, subsp. nov. from wet páramo of theSumapaz massif south of Bogotá, Colombia. This form differs from the nominate ofthe wetlands of the Cundinamarca-Boyacá Plateau in size, coloration, ecology, socialstructure and song and appears to be isolated from it by some 1000 m of elevationand different habitat preferences. A second population apparently occurs some 300km further northeast in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy in Dept. Boyacá but no dataexist for intervening páramos. As a species, C. apolinari is critically endangeredbut the wetland and páramo populations face different threats and require differentconservation strategies; distinguishing the latter population formally helps callattention to this situation.