Archive for July 5th, 2012
Prince of frogs
Photo credit: Amphibian Ark
Prince Charles’ charity work to protect the rainforests is well-known. In particular, he has been concerned about their amphibian tree-dwelling inhabitants, who tend to be fairly reliable indicators of the effects of deforestation on biodiversity. Now his efforts have been formally recognised by naming a newly-discovered species after him.
In an article published yesterday in the journal Zootaxa (Zootaxa 3364: 1-78) Dr Luis Coloma et al officially announced that they had named the new species the Prince Charles stream tree frog (Hyloscirtus princecharlesi). This has generated the inevitable flurry of media jokes about kissing frogs and frogs that turn into princes.
The new species was first discovered by Dr. Coloma four years ago, amongst specimens destined for a museum. Small numbers of them were subsequently found in the Cotacachi-Cayapas National Park, Ecuador, when areas of the forest were cleared for agriculture. A breeding pair is now being raised in captivity as part of the Amphibian Ark project with the intention of eventually boosting the small wild population.
The full Zootaxa article can be read HERE.
