[ad_1]
Venezuelan researchers have discovered a species of endemic toad whose survival is threatened by deforestation of its habitat, a fact that confirms Venezuela among the countries with the greatest diversity of frogs.
The small animal lives in the forests of the Sierra de Aroa, in the state of Yaracuy, in the north of the country. He received the name Mannophryne molinai, in tribute to César Molina (1960-2015), a Venezuelan herpetologist who has dedicated his life to working with amphibians and reptiles.
This is a "frog collar (by a black band in the throat), the largest individuals reaching only 2.5 centimeters," explained Miguel Matta, co-author of the survey. Females are slightly larger than males.
The colors at the back are a mixture of brown, gray and dark green.
The belly of the males is white and the throat is greyish; the females have a more conspicuous ventral coloring, with a yellow throat and black collar more marked, and a white belly partially dyed yellow, describes Matta.
Another characteristic is the sound emitted by men, "consisting of a long series of individual notes," he added.
Although it is assumed that its distribution is more extensive in the mountains, its presence has until now been known only on a point called La Rondona.
The first specimens of Mannophryne molinai were found in 2012 in a stream in the area. In principle, it was thought that it was another population of Mannophryne herminae, widespread in the mountains of the coast of Venezuela, but doubts persisted.
Since it is difficult to differentiate species of this genus, "it took more research to make sure that it was an undescribed species," explained Matta.
The fieldwork lasted several years and for the description of the species, photographs were required, analysis of the recordings of their vocalizations and an in-depth comparison with the other 19 known species of the genus Mannophryne.
The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa.
Matta, of the Central University of Venezuela, and the herpetologists, Enrique La Marca, of the University of Los Andes, and Fernando Rojas-Runjaic, of the Natural History Museum of La Salle, who has led the study.
The discovery of a new species is always good news for science, but in the case of Mannophryne, this contrasts with its vulnerability to deforestation, said Matta.
Even when the Sierra de Aroa is protected at its northern end, the rest of the territory, where the amphibian was found, "supports a strong intervention in livestock and agriculture," warned the scientist.
Deforestation increases the temperature and decreases the humidity, and as it is a species dependent on streams, "there would be a risk of extinction if the expanses of water disappeared or become contaminated, "said the researcher.
The diet of Mannophryne molinai is not yet described, but other species of its genus feed on insects, earthworms and, occasionally, small crustaceans.
With this discovery, 20 species of the genus Mannophryne have been identified, including 18 of these endemic mountain systems in northern Venezuela.
Half is listed as threatened with extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
"This discovery reveals that the amphibian fauna in Venezuela is still in a discovery phase and reinforces the country's position among the eight that have the largest number of frogs in the world," La Marca said.
Source link
