#frog species

[critter-of-the-day]

25th of October 2024: Red-spotted Glassfrog

Halloween isn’t just about creepy invertebrates from the deep, so for this Frog Friday, here’s the Red-spotted Glassfrog (Nymphargus grandisonae) a species of frog named such due to their translucent skin, meaning that if you look closely, you can see some their bones and internal organs. You can also use the patterns of red spots on their back to identify distinct individuals of this species [1].

They are very territorial, and the males of the species can frequently be found fighting other males, at times holding one another in a wrestling position for several hours, oftentimes while dangling from leaves. The forms of wrestling can be quite variable, but have been documented on video, which you can see here. This can lead to injury to one another, as they have spikes on their arms they ram into their opponent [2]. They were also the first glassfrog (a family encompassing over 150 species) to be observed fighting another species of glassfrog, Espadarana prosoblepon [3].

They don’t just fight but also mate on leaves (as well as rocks). After mating, they female will deposit her eggs there or somewhere close, but above a water source [4]. If the eggs survive and do not fall victim to spittlebug flies (Cladochaeta) [1], the tadpoles will then be able to drop into the water below where they spend their time in the sand or leaf litter before completing their development [5].

They are found in Columbia and Ecuador, specifically on the Western slopes of the Western and Central Cordilleras. While they are sometimes found near roads and appear to be tolerant to habitat disturbances, they are always found near the forest [6].

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [Image]

[markscherz]

Meet the seven new frog species we just named after iconic Star Trek captains!

Artwork by A. Petzold, CC BY-ND 4.0

At the right time of year along rushing streams in the humid rainforests that stretch the length of Madagascar's eastern and northern mountain ridges, otherworldly trills of piercing whistles can be heard.

Are they birds? Insects? Communicator beeps? Tricorder noises?

No, they're little treefrogs!

Boophis janewayae. Photo by M. Vences, CC BY-SA 4.0

Until recently, we thought all of the populations of these little brown frogs across the island were one widespread species, Boophis marojezensis, described in 1994. But genetics in the early 2000s and 2010s showed that there were several species here, not just one.

Now my colleagues and I have shown that they are in fact eight separate species, each with unique calls!

These whistling sounds reminded us so much of Star Trek sound effects that we decided to name the seven new species after Star Trek captains: Boophis kirki, B. picardi, B. janewayae, B. siskoi, B. pikei, B. archeri, and B. burnhamae.

Photos of all new species described by Vences et al. 2024. CC BY-SA 4.0

I subtly and not-so-subtly built some Star Trek references into the paper, but probably the best one is this one:

'Finding these frogs sometimes requires considerable trekking; pursuing strange new calls, to seek out new frogs in new forests; boldly going where no herpetologist has gone before.'

— Vences et al. 2024

There’s a real sense of scientific discovery and exploration here, which we think is in the spirit of Star Trek.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that there are at least two Trekkies amongst the authors (including yours truly). As fans of Star Trek, we are also just pleased to dedicate these new species to the characters who have inspired and entertained us over the decades.

On a personal note, this marks a milestone for me, as it means I have now described over 100 frog species! I am very pleased that the 100th is Captain Janeway's Bright-eyed Frog, Boophis janewayae (if you count them in order of appearance in the paper)—she is probably my favourite captain, and I really love Star Trek: Voyager.

You can read more about the discovery of these new species on my website! You can also read the Open Access paper published in Vertebrate Zoology here.

[pangur-and-grim]

working on a new print

[reasonsforhope]

"For over a decade, the Yosemite toad has been recognized as a federally threatened species, after experiencing a 50% population decline during the Rim Fire of 2013.

The wildfire, which encompassed a mass of land near Yosemite National Park, made the amphibian species especially vulnerable in its home habitat. 

Native to the Sierra Nevada, the toads play a key role in the area’s ecosystem — and conservationists stepped in to secure their future.

In 2017, the San Francisco Zoo’s conservation team began working with the National Park Service, Yosemite Conservancy, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the U.S. Geological Survey. 

The goal of all of these stakeholders? To raise their own Yosemite toads, re-establishing a self-sustaining population in the wild. 

“Over the past several years, SF Zoo’s conservation team has been busily raising hundreds of these small but significant amphibians from tadpole stage, a species found only in the Sierra Nevada, for the purpose of reintroducing them to an area of Yosemite National Park where it was last seen 11 years ago,” the zoo shared on social media. 

By 2022, a group of toads were deemed ready for release — and at the end of June of this year [2024], 118 toads were flown via helicopter back to their habitat.

“It’s the first time anyone has ever raised this species in captivity and released them to the wild,” Rochelle Stiles, field conservation manager at the San Francisco Zoo, told SFGATE. “It’s just incredible. It makes what we do at the zoo every day worthwhile.”

Over the past two years, these toads were fed a diet of crickets and vitamin supplements and were examined individually to ensure they were ready for wildlife release.

Zoo team members inserted a microchip into each toad to identify and monitor its health. In addition, 30 of the toads were equipped with radio transmitters, allowing their movements to be tracked using a radio receiver and antenna.

The project doesn’t end with this single wildlife release; it’s slated to take place over the next five years, as conservationists continue to collect data about the toads’ breeding conditions and survivability in an ever-changing climate. They will also continue to raise future toad groups at the zoo’s wellness and conservation center...

While the future of the Yosemite toad is still up in the air — and the uncertainty of climate change makes this a particularly audacious leap of faith — the reintroduction of these amphibians could have positive ripple effects for all of Yosemite.

Their re-entry could restore the population balance of invertebrates and small vertebrates that the toads consume, as well as balance the food web, serving as prey for snakes, birds, and other local predators.

“Zoo-reared toads can restore historic populations,” Nancy Chan, director of communications at the San Francisco Zoo, told SFGATE. 

Stiles continued: “This is our backyard, our home, and we want to bring native species back to where they belong.”

-via GoodGoodGood, July 11, 2024

[this-is-me19]

How many relatives does Kermit have?

Perfection

[hellsitegenetics]

I got a pet pac-man frog recently and for the life of me I cannot come up with a good name for them, so I'm gonna roll the BLAST dice and see what comes up from this :D

Their too young to sex for now, and they're a coffee morph (Which means their much more brown and less green than normal), and I love them dearly already

They're still pretty small, so they're in a small little plastic container for now until they grow big enough to be in the 20 gallon-long tank I have

String identified: gt a t ac-a g ct a t cat c t a g a t, ' ga t AT c a at c t : T t g t , a t' a c (c a t c a g ta a), a t a aa T' t tt a, t' a a tt atc cta t t g g g t t ga-g ta a

Closest match: Pterostichus madidus genome assembly, chromosome: 8 Common name: Black Clock Beetle

(image source)

[amphibianaday]

day 1421

[archivewriter1ont]

How I think that top-secret time on Kashyyyk would have gone. Yoda would probably like the other three but Crosshair would be more likely to drive him to insanity.

[pansy-placebo]

Oh so THAT'S what that's called!! Now let's do some reading...

Oh wow, she just goes:

"Yeahhh... I'm really not looking for somebody to fertilize my eggs right now. Uh...."

*vibrates intensely to make him leave*

Like that's... definitely one way of dealing with awkward situations. I should try it sometime.

I wish reproductive biology wasn’t so fascinating. Like yes actually, amplexus is really funny and neat to me. The frogs turned mating into a marathon. Your boyfriend who is 30% smaller than you has turned into a backpack. You’re just gonna have to carry him until you’re done.

[orion-starbelt]

Toads I think? I found them while doing lawn work. Anyone able to ID them?

Area is Southern Michigan

Enjoy the little amphibians though

[critter-of-the-day]

9th of October 2024: Cophixalus misimae

It may not yet be Friday, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a frog (as a treat). Here’s Cophixalus misimae, who unfortunately does not have a common name, but may also go by the name Asterophrys misimae [1]. Also apologies for the black and white picture, but I’m afraid that’s all there is of them. The main colour feature they have is the dark brown band going along their side [2].

As is to be expected of microhylid frogs, they’re rather small, with a maximum length of 2 cm. You can find them on the rainforest floor of the island of Misima, a small island of Papua New Guinea, east of New Guinea. They have a pulsing call that can last up to 5 seconds. Interestingly, they are quite similar to Batrachylodes trossulus despite not being genetically close. This is likely an indicator of how the habitat made their body shapes and colour patterns converge [2].

Unfortunately, they are considered critically endangered. While it’s likely their range reaches beyond the 3 square kilometres they’ve been found in thus far, they’re also probably not spread across the entire island. They have been found in rainforest regrowth near rainforest, but open areas are probably not a suitable habitat for them, meaning the deforestation and habitat degradation presents a real threat to them [3].

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [Image]

[sarielsnowings]

Species challenge! 🦊✨

I asked my followers on Twitter and Bluesky for animal suggestions (especially less common ones in the furry fandom) and this was the result :3 it was very fun, should repeat it sometime!

[markscherz]

BOOPHIS SNOOT!

Specifically, an undescribed Boophis from the B. goudotii species group that I discovered in 2015/2016.

[babanasaur]

Artfight 2024 Hanasei

Species designed by frogcroaks! piece completed for artfight, I own the creature

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

have you done lake titicaca frogs? they’re such little freaks

Oh wow, I'd never heard of these! They are so silly looking :)

Photos thanks to Zoo Berlin & Joel Sartore from National Geographic!

[reasonsforhope]

Pairing frogs and toads together might conjure memories of Arnold Lobel’s beloved characters — dressed to the nines in caramel coats and polyester — biking off toward adventure. 

But in the animal world, frogs and toads on nearly every continent are facing a much more harrowing adventure: a decades-long fight against a mysterious fungal virus that has afflicted over 500 amphibian species. 

Since the 1990s, scientists estimate that the chytridiomycosis disease caused by the fungal pathogen Bd (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) has led to the extinction of 90 amphibians. One of the lost species includes the Panamanian golden frog, which hasn’t been spotted in the wild since 2009. 

Fortunately, a new research study has finally pinpointed the virus that has been infecting fungal genomes for decades. 

“Bd is a generalist pathogen and is associated with the decline of over 500 amphibian species…here, we describe the discovery of a novel DNA mycovirus of Bd,” wrote Mark Yacoub — the lead author of the study and a microbiology doctoral student at the University of California, Riverside. 

In an interview with UC Riverside News, Yacoub said that he and microbiology professor Jason Stajich observed the viral genome while studying the broader population genetics of mycovirus (viruses of fungi). 

The discovery will undoubtedly have monumental impacts on future amphibian conservation efforts. This includes the possible launching of new research studies into fungal species strains, the practice of cloning and observing spores, and engineering a solution to the virus. 

But Yacoub cautioned that this is only the beginning. 

“We don’t know how the virus infects the fungus, how it gets into the cells,” Yacoub said. “If we’re going to engineer the virus to help amphibians, we need answers to questions like these.”

Still, as scientists strengthen conservation efforts to save frogs and toads (and salamanders too!) they also appear to be saving themselves. Yacoub pointed out several amphibian species around the world have begun exhibiting resistance to Bd. 

“Like with COVID, there is a slow buildup of immunity,” Yacoub explained. “We are hoping to assist nature in taking its course.”

Pictured: A Golden poison frog — one of the many species endangered by chytridiomycosis — in captivity.

Why are frogs and toads so important?

From the get go, every amphibian species plays an important role in their local ecosystem. Not only are they prey for a slew of animals like lizards, snakes, otters, birds, and more, but in an eat-or-be-eaten world, frogs and toads benefit the food chain by doing both. 

Even freshly hatched tadpoles — no bigger than a button — can reduce contamination in their surrounding pond water by nibbling on algae blooms. 

As they grow bigger (and leggier), amphibians snack on whatever insect comes their way, greatly reducing the population of harmful pests and making a considerable dent in the transmission malaria, dengue, and Zika fever by eating mosquito larvae. 

“Frogs control bad insects, crop pests, and mosquitoes,” Yacoub said. “If their populations all over the world collapse, it could be devastating.” 

Yacoub also pointed out that amphibians are the “canary in the coal mine of climate change,” because they are an indicator species. Frogs and toads have permeable skin, making them sensitive to changes in their environment, and they also rely on freshwater. 

When amphibians vanish from an ecosystem, it’s a symptom of greater environmental issues...

Herpetologist Maureen Donnelly echoed Yacoub’s sentiments in an interview with Phys Org, noting that when it comes to food chains, biodiversity, and environmental impact, the role of frogs and toads should not be overlooked. 

“Conservation must be a global team effort,” Donnelly said. “We are the stewards of the planet and are responsible for all living creatures.”

-via GoodGoodGood, April 22, 2024