New species discovered in Ecuador

A snail sucking snake and a miniature gecko are among discoveries by a team of scientists in Ecuador's rainforest
Suzanne Goldenberg, guardian.co.uk 15 Jan 10;

A team of scientists working in a ­threatened rain forest in Ecuador have discovered a species of snail sucking snake, 30 varieties of frog, and a gecko so small it can perch on top of a pencil.
But the finds come from an area which is being rapidly deforested and the animals could soon become extinct.

About 95% of the trees around Cerro Pata de Pájaro – the area of rain and cloud forest in the west of the country where the species were discovered – have been felled for farming, said Paul ­Hamilton who led the ­expedition for ­Reptile & Amphibian Ecology International.

In the remaining forest cover, he said the scientists had come across several important discoveries. Each ­mountaintop in the region is its own microhabitat, with its own variety of frog, lizard, and other small animal. "In this part of ­Ecuador, if you go to one spot you can find 20 or 30 species of frog, and if you go to the next site over you will see a whole bunch of different ones," said Hamilton.

Important discoveries included a snake with striking red markings with a blunt snout "made just perfectly for jamming into the hole of a snail shell and providing that suction to suck the snail right out of there"; frogs which lay their eggs in trees, rather than in water; salamanders that have dispensed with lungs and breathe entirely through their skin, geckos and least four previously unseen types of stick insect.

But the animals' habitat is being threatened by deforestation and climate change. The rise in temperatures and drought are forcing animals to move to higher elevation in search of cooler, wetter ­climates. Frogs which depend on the moist tree cover to protect their eggs could be especially at risk.