Two new species of glass frog identified in Ecuador

The existence of two new species of glass frogs in Ecuadorian territory was announced this week by biologist Juan Manuel Guayasamín on his social networks. There he shared the research which was published this week on the peerj.com publishing platform.

Juan Manuel Guayasamín, professor at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, explains that they live in small redoubts of forest, the first, called Hyalinobatrachium mashpi in the Mashpi and Tayra Reserves. And the second, Hyalinobatrachium nouns in the Cordillera del Toisán.

Both species are distinguished from other glassfrogs primarily by their dorsal coloration (lime green back with small pale yellow spots, head usually with an interorbital bar) and transparent pericardium (the heart is visible through the ventral skin). detailed in the research in which they participated Juan M. Guayasamin, Rebecca M. Brunner, Anyelet Valencia-Aguilar, Daniela Franco-Mena, Eva Ringler, Anderson Medina Armijos, Carlos Morochz, Lucas Bustamante, Ross J. Maynard, Jaime Culebras.

According to the data collected in the report, the two species are practically identical, but differ by almost 5% in their mitochondrial genes, despite being separated by less than 20 km. Between the two species is the Guayllabamba River valley, said the biologist, who states that like all species of the Hyalinobatrachium genus, only the males take care of their offspring.

Researchers found in Ecuador a new glass frog that shows its heart

Guayasamín recalled that the Toisán species was found for the first time in 2012. The Mashpi species was found in 2014, which is why he assures that it is necessary to speed up the description of biodiversity. In Ecuador, the discoveries of these species of glass frogs have been reported for some years.

The tropical Andes are the most biodiverse hotspot in the world. This region contains more than 1,000 amphibian species, more than half of which are endemic. (I)