BOGOTA (AFP) – Scientists announced Monday the discovery of 10 amphibian species in Colombia potentially new to science, including an orange-legged rain frog, three poison frogs and three transparent "glass" frogs.
During a three-week expedition in Colombia's northwestern Tacarcuna hills in the Darien Gap bordering Panama, scientists identified about 60 species of amphibians, 20 reptiles and almost 120 species of birds, many of them apparently unique to the area.
"Without a doubt this region is a true Noah's Ark," said Jose Vicente Rodriguez-Mahecha, Conservation International's scientific director in Colombia."The high number of new amphibian species found is a sign of hope, even with the serious threat of extinction that this animal group faces in many other regions of the country and the world."
The expedition, led by CI herpetologists and ornithologists from Colombia's Ecotropico Foundation, yielded potentially new species of amphibians, including three glass frogs, whose transparent skin can reveal internal organs, a harlequin frog, two rain frogs and one salamander.
The group said Colombia has one of the most diverse amphibian communities in the world, with 754 species currently recorded.
"Scientists consider amphibians important indicators of ecosystem health," the group said in a statement. Many species are impacted by climate change.
"With porous, absorbent skin, they often provide early warnings of environmental degradation caused by acid rain, or contamination from heavy metals and pesticides that can also harm people."
The scientists found large mammals, such as the endangered Baird's tapir, white-lipped peccary and four species of monkeys -- Geoffroy's spider monkey, Geoffroy's tamarin, the white-throated capuchin and the mantled howler monkey.
Other findings included Central American species never before recorded in northern South America, including a salamander, a rain frog, a small lizard and a snake.
"Once more we confirm we are leaders in natural diversity and not only in our region but in the world. Without a doubt this discovery represents a great milestone for science and human health," Colombian Environment Minister Juan Lozano said in a statement.
Ten New Amphibian Species Discovered In Colombia
Deborah Zabarenko, PlanetArk 2 Feb 09;
WASHINGTON - Ten new species of amphibians -- including three kinds of poisonous frogs and three transparent-skinned glass frogs -- have been discovered in the mountains of Colombia, conservationists said Monday.
With amphibians under threat around the globe, the discovery was an encouraging sign and reason to protect the area where they were found, said Robin Moore, an amphibian expert at the environmental group Conservation International.
The nine frog species and one salamander species were found in the mountainous Tacarcuna area of the Darien region near Colombia's border with Panama.
Because amphibians have permeable skin, they are exposed directly to the elements and can offer early warnings about the impact of environmental degradation and climate change, Moore said. As much as one-third of all amphibians in the world are threatened with extinction, he said.
"Amphibians are very sensitive to changes ... in the environment," Moore said in a telephone interview. "Amphibians are kind of a barometer in terms of responding to those changes and are likely to be the first to respond, so climate change ... impacts on amphibians heavily."
Amphibians also help control the spread of diseases like malaria and dengue fever, because they eat the insects that transmit these ailments to people.
The new species discovered in Colombia include three poison frogs, three glass frogs, one harlequin frog, two kinds of rain frogs and one salamander.
'NOAH'S ARK' IN COLOMBIA
The expedition that turned up the new amphibians also recorded the presence of large mammals like Baird's tapir, which is considered endangered in Colombia, four species of monkeys and a population of white-lipped peccary, a pig-like creature.
"Without a doubt this region is a true Noah's Ark," said Jose Vicente Rodriguez-Mahecha, the conservation group's scientific director in Colombia.
"The high number of new amphibian species found is a sign of hope, even with the serious threat of extinction that this animal group faces in many other regions of the country and the world," Rodriguez said in a statement.
The area where the new species were found has traditionally served as a place where plants and animals move between North and South America. While the terrain is relatively undisturbed now, its landscape faces threats from selective logging, cattle ranching, hunting, mining and habitat fragmentation.
Between 25 and 30 percent of the natural vegetation there is being deforested.
Moore said protecting the Tacarcuna area where these amphibians were found could also benefit local people by preserving an important watershed.
"We don't go in there and try and tell them to protect the forest for frogs," Moore said. "It's more a case of working with them to find more sustainable long-term solutions that will protect these resources that are ultimately benefiting them."
(Editing by David Storey)
See-Through Frogs Discovered
livescience.com Yahoo News 3 Feb 09;
Ten newfound species of amphibians - including a frog with spiky skin and three varieties of frogs with transparent skin - have been discovered in the mountains of Colombia.
The new species were found on a recent expedition led by herpetologists from Conservation International and ornithologists from the Ecotrópico Foundation in Colombia's mountainous Tacarcuna area of the Darien, near the border with Panama.
Over a period of three weeks, the scientists identified approximately 60 species of amphibians, 20 reptiles and almost 120 species of birds, many of them apparently found nowhere else in the world.
Of the 60 documented amphibians, the potentially new species include three glass frogs of the Nymphargus, Cochranella and Centrolene genera; three poison dart frogs in the Dendrobatidae family (Colostethus, Ranitomeya and Anomaloglossus genera); one harlequin frog of the Atelopus genus; two species of rain frogs of the Pristimantis genera; and one salamander of the Bolitoglossa genus.
Colombia holds one of the most diverse amphibian communities in the world, with 754 species currently recorded.
Amphibians are considered important indicators of ecosystem health because their porous, absorbent skin makes them highly susceptible to pollution and climate change. Many frog and amphibian species around the world have suffered die-offs in recent years because of a lethal fungus that infects their skin and spreads quickly between geographic areas.
"Without a doubt this region is a true Noah's Ark," said Jose Vicente Rodriguez-Mahecha, scientific director of Conservation International-Colombia. "The high number of new amphibian species found is a sign of hope, even with the serious threat of extinction that this animal group faces in many other regions of the country and the world."
The expedition also recorded the presence of large mammals such as Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii), whose closest relatives include horses and rhinoceroses, and which are listed on the IUCN Red List as endangered in Colombia.
The biologists also found four species of monkeys, including Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi), Geoffroy's tamarin or red crested bare-faced tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi), white-throated capuchin or Gorgona white-fronted capuchin (Cebus capucinus), and the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata). Populations of the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), which resembles a furry pig, also were found.
Other surprising findings included the presence of Central American species recorded for the first time in the northern area of South America, including a salamander (Bolitoglossa taylori), a rain frog (Pristimantis pirrensis), a small lizard (Ptychoglossus myersi) and a snake not yet identified.