Green Options » amphibians

Madagascar: A Biodiversity “Hot Spot” for Amphibians

Michael Ricciardi — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:04:39 +0000

Ecologists and biologist who study the world’s flora and fauna have been reporting a species decline amongst amphibians for over a decade or more. This decline has been attributed to a combination of habitat loss and diseases (a fungus pandemic, a virus). A 2007 paper (Becker, et al) made a case for “habitat splitting” wherein certain Brazilian, Amazon frog species that are born in water, but then occupy land ecosystems as adults, are “cut off” from making this transition, due to human road building and development.

And yet, despite this trend, there remain biological (or biodiversity) “hot spots” around the globe in which a great many amphibian species are found to be thriving in the same ecosystem. In some cases, such hot spots offer potentially hundreds of new species for discovery and analysis. One such hot spot is the island of Madagascar. It is an “Eden” for amphibians.

New Salamander Species Discovered in US

Jake Richardson — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:41:42 +0000

University of Georgia researchers discovered a two inch long salamander near Toccoa, Georgia. It is reportedly the first discovery of a new four-footed species in the US in fifty years.

It was in the spring of 2007 that the salamander was first discovered, but the details have not been published until this year, in the Journal of Zoology. The first one to be spotted was a female, and later the researchers returned to the creek area of the first discovery, and found a male.

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New Frog Species Discovered in Costa Rica

Jake Richardson — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:38:54 +0000

University of Costa Rica scientists discovered a new species of frog in a mountainous region of their country. The frog is about 2 cm. in length and lives in the Altamira-Valle de Silencio area at an altitude of around 8,000 feet. The habitat there is rainforest with cool temperatures.

The frog was named Diasporus ventrimaculatus. Females are black and the males are orange, or grey.

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100-200 New Amphibians Discovered in Madagascar

Jake Richardson — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:56:20 +0000

A recent study documented the discovery of 100-200 new amphibian species in Madagascar.

One of the researchers, Dr. Miguel Vences, stated: “People think that we know which plant and animal species live on this planet. But the century of discoveries has only just begun – the majority of life forms on Earth is still awaiting scientific recognition.”

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Transparent Frogs Discovered in Colombia

Jake Richardson — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:31:16 +0000

Scientists from Conservation International and the Ecotropia Foundation have discovered ten new amphibian species.

Their discoveries took place in a mountainous area near Panama called Tacarcuna. The newly identified species include three transparent, or ‘glass’ frogs, three poison dart frogs, and one frog with spiky skin and orange legs. Glass frogs have a partly transparent skin which makes some of their internal organs visible. Frogs with this type of smooth, absorbent skin are seen by some as indicators of ecological health because they are very sensitive to toxins. They live mainly in forests, except during the breeding season.

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Popular US Farm Chemical = Death to Frogs

Meg Hamill — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:20:00 +0000

A new report shows that atrazine, the second-most widely used agricultural herbicide in America, poses a serious threat to amphibians.

For a long time now, I’ve been hearing about the worrisome disappearance of amphibians around the world. One third of amphibian populations on Planet Earth are threatened with extinction. A new study finds that atrazine, the second most widely used farm herbicide in the country, is partly responsible for this decline.

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Scientists in Costa Rica May Have Saved “Rarest Frog in World” from Extinction

Levi Novey — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:56:47 +0000

A team of scientists on an expedition to study frogs has found the “rarest frog in the world” in Costa Rica. Thought to be extinct for over 20 years, last year hope was renewed when an individual male from the species was found by one of the team’s researchers. Last week the team found a pregnant female, suggesting that this species is still reproducing and has not been made extinct by a deadly skin fungus that is decimating amphibian populations.

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Score One for the Frogs

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:15:46 +0000

Scientists on a Conservation Leadership Programme expedition have recently discovered a critically endangered frog species that hasn’t been seen in nature for 14 years. The Carrikeri Harlequin frog was found in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountains of Colombia.

Photo courtesy of the Conservation Leadership Programme.

Leap Day Ushers in ‘Year of the Frog’

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:07:59 +0000

Today, Feb. 29, Leap Day, marks the official start of the “Year of the Frog,” a global campaign aimed at raising awareness of the threat of mass extinction facing one-third to one-half of all frogs and other amphibians around the world. Check out the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ events database to find out what froggy activities are taking place near you.