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A team of researchers from the University of New York at Abu Dhabi has described a new frog species from Bibita Mountain, an unexplored and isolated mountain in southwestern Ethiopia.
Bibita mountain dwarf puddle frogs (Phrynobatrachus bibita), the women. Image credit: S. Goutte & J. Reyes-Velasco, New York University, Abu Dhabi.
The highlands of Ethiopia are known for their great diversity and endemism.
About half of all species of anurans (frogs and toads) in this country are endemic, including five endemic genera.
Bibita Mountain was under the radar of Dr. Jacobo Reyes-Velasco and her colleagues at New York University for several years because of her isolation and the fact that no other zoologist had ever explored her before.
"Untouched, isolated and unexplored: it had all the elements to arouse our interest," said Dr. Reyes-Velasco.
"We tried to join Bibita during a previous expedition in 2016 without success. Last summer, we took a different route that brought us to a higher altitude. "
Named the dwarf puddle frog of Bibita Mountain (Phrynobatrachus bibita), the found species is unique among the puddle frogs of Ethiopia.
It has a small size (1.7 cm for men and 2 cm for women), a slim body with long legs and elongated fingers and toes, and a golden color.
"When we looked at the frogs, it was obvious that we had found a new species. They were so different from all species in Ethiopia that we had never seen before, "said Sandra Goutte, also from New York University in Abu Dhabi.
The team also sequenced tissue samples taken from the Bibita Mountain Dwarf Frog and found that it was genetically different from all frog species in the region.
"The discovery of such a genetically distinct species in just a few days in this mountain is a perfect demonstration of the importance of badessing the biodiversity of this type of site," said Dr. Stéphane Boissinot of the University from New York.
"Bibita Mountain probably has many more unknown species waiting for our discovery; it is essential that biologists discover them to properly protect them, as well as their habitat. "
The discovery is reported in the newspaper zookeys.
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S. Goutte et al. 2019. A new sparrow frog species from an unexplored mountain in southwestern Ethiopia (Anura, Phrynobatrachidae, Phrynobatrachus). zookeys 824: 53-70; doi: 10.3897 / zookeys.824.31570
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