11/3/12
by Gerard Aziakou, GUARAQUECABA, Brazil, (AFP) -- On a trek across an Atlantic
rainforest reserve in south Brazil, biologist Michel Garey recalled how on his
birthday in 2007 he chanced upon a new species of tiny, three-fingered frogs.
"I
was doing research with two friends on a hilltop in the reserve and I stumbled
into this unusual frog with only three fingers," he told a small group of
reporters this week on a tour of Salto Morato, a nature preserve owned by
Brazil's leading cosmetic firm Boticario.
"It
happened on February 14, 2007: My birthday. What a treat!" he said.
But
it was not until June this year that the discovery of this new species -- Brachycephalus tridactylus -- was
officially established. A report on his finding was published in Herpetologica, a quarterly international
journal focusing on study and conservation of amphibians and reptiles.
"At
the time I was doing some other work related to ecology and I figured I could
wait as no one else doing frog research would have access to the area,"
Garey said.
"It
took me 18 months from early 2011 to collect seven of the new frogs, go to
museums to compare them with other species, realize that they were new, write my paper and
have it published in the journal."
The
tiny brachycephalus tridactylus was
found at an altitude of around 900 meters (3,000 feet). Its most striking
feature is the absence of a fourth finger, which Garey attributes to an
evolutionary process rather than to environmental effects.
The
frog, which measures less than 1.5-cm in length, is mostly orange with
olive-gray spots and dots on its body.
Garey
said the male frog makes around 30 mating calls a day, sounds he described as
"a single short note that decreases in dominant frequency from beginning
to end."
Garey
said he could not estimate the frog population, but plans to do so in a future
research project.
The
frog is part of 43 amphibian species found in this 2,253-hectare (5,567-acre)
reserve, located in Guaraquecaba, the easternmost city in the southern state of
Parana.
Experts
estimate around 950 amphibian species live across Brazil and more than 6,700
around the world.
Amphibians
-- cold-blooded animals such as frogs, toads, salamanders and newts -- are
increasingly threatened by climate change, pollution, and the emergence of a
deadly and infectious fungal disease, which has been linked to global warming.
One-third
of the known species are threatened with extinction, according to the Global
Amphibian Assessment, an extensive survey of
the world's amphibian species. More than 120 species are believed to have gone
extinct since 1980.
Frogs
spend part of their life in water and on land, so understanding their
complex life
cycle is crucial because they can serve as "bioindicators of
environmental quality", said Garey.
Frogs
"have permeable skin which make them more susceptible to ultra-violet
radiation and their body temperatures change with the environment," Garey
said.
"As
larvae in the water, they eat various organisms such as algae and as adults
they eat insects. The larvae are also eaten by fish while the adults are eaten
by cobras and mammals," he added. "So they are having a cascade
effect in the food chain."
Garey
is able to recognize different species by the male's distinctive mating calls.
During
a night foray into the soggy forest, Garey suddenly bolted into a nearby pond
and snatched an unsuspecting bright green frog known as phyllomedusa distincta after hearing its tell-tale call.
Garey's
interest in frogs began 10 years ago, when he was 19 and studying biology.
Today
he is a post-doctorate fellow at Paulista State University in Sao
Paulo state. His research is funded by the Boticario foundation, a non-profit
body which has already sponsored 800 conservation projects, including research
and environmental education programs all over Brazil.
Salto
Morato, created in 1994, protects a significant area of Brazil's dwindling
Atlantic rainforest. In November 1999, the reserve was declared a natural
heritage site by UNESCO.
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