Hyloscirtus princecharlesi. Photo by Luis A. Coloma.
Researchers discovered two frog species in Ecuador and named one in honor of Prince Charles.
- Two previously unknown frog species were found in the highly endangered cloud forests of Ecuador.
- One species was named Hyloscirtus princecharlesi, in honor of Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, for the royal’s work to preserve tropical forests. The second species is called Hyloscirtus cryptico.
- Hyloscirtus princecharlesi was first identified by Luis A. Coloma, an Ecuadorian scientist. In 2009 he collected specimen in the wild at Reserva Las Gralarias, a private nature reserve.
- Both species live in montane forest streams, a habitat that has been particularly affected by the chytrid fungus epidemic.
- The chytrid fungus epidemic has killed untold numbers of amphibians globally and driven dozens of species to extinction since the early 1980s.
- Amphibians are at great risk globally due to habitat loss, introduced diseases like the chytrid fungus, over-harvesting, the effects of climate change, pollution, and invasive species.
- More than two out of every five amphibians assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are considered threatened.
CITATION: LUIS A. COLOMA at al. Molecular phylogenetics of stream treefrogs of the Hyloscirtus larinopygion group (Anura: Hylidae), and description of two new species from Ecuador. Zootaxa 3364: 1–78 (2012) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/
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