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Diego
Cisneros-Heredia Dr. Roy McDiarmid, Ph.D.
"A cool place, some frogs, a nice advisor and a lot of fun: the perfect recipe. But basically, do whatever you love, do whatever you want, but do it right!" |
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Diego
Cisneros-Heredia Dr. Roy McDiarmid, Ph.D.
"A cool place, some frogs, a nice advisor and a lot of fun: the perfect recipe. But basically, do whatever you love, do whatever you want, but do it right!" |
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The
Glass Frogs (Amphibia: Anura: Centrolenidae) from the Rio Palenque
Science Center, Western Ecuador, with the description of a critically
endangered new species Ecuador
has the biggest number of amphibian species per unit of area in the
world (425 species in 276,840 km2). In the last decade, conservative
estimates indicate that at least 26 species of Ecuadorian amphibians
have declined or gone extinct. The reasons for this crisis are not
clear but have been related to habitat destruction, climate change,
and/or fungal disease such as the chytridiomycosis. The Río
Palenque Science Center (RPSC) was among the last remnants of tropical
rainforest in the western lowlands of Ecuador. Twenty years ago, investigations
done by R. McDiarmid and others led to the discovery of an amazing
herpetofauna, including several undescribed species. However, the
expansion of the agricultural frontier and transformation of the forest
remnants into oil palm and banana plantations destroyed this site.
Among the species identified from RPSC were five species of glass
frogs (Family Centrolenidae): Centrolene prosoblepon, Cochranella
spinosai, Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni, Hyalinobatrachium
valerioi, and an undescribed species of the genus Centrolene
restricted to the RPSC. This research analyzed the morphological characters
and natural history of the five glass frogs of RPSC in order to describe
the new species of Centrolene from RPSC which is critically
endangered, if not extinct. The new species is characterized by combination
of the following characters: 1) a distinctive coloration with yellow
dorsolateral stripes; 2) the presence of an exposed prepolicall spine;
3) a humeral spine in the males; and, 4) a unique nuptial pad between
the fingers II and I. This research was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Women's Committee. |