Generales

Hyloscirtus diabolus is the name of a new and rare species of frog that lives in Peru's Amazon Basin. The red-eyed treefrog has been described by researchers from three countries, including Mauricio Rivera-Correa, a Universidad de Antioquia professor.

Photo courtesy of Maurico Rivera-Correa

The creeks and streams in northeastern Peru are home to Hyloscirtus diabolus, a relatively large, red-eyed treefrog with hypertrophied forelimbs (very thick arms), which was unknown to scientists until recently. 

This new amphibian species has been described by scientists from Peru, Colombia and Canada in the latest issue of Zootaxa, a peer-reviewed scientific journal for animal taxonomists. This species belongs to the Hylidae, a wide-ranging family of frogs commonly referred to as "tree frogs”. 

The robust frog was discovered in northeastern Peru, in an area where strong mining activities are carried out, which could pose a threat to its habitat. “It is likely that in the coming decades the rainforests of this area of Peru will end up being damaged by mining,” says Mauricio Rivera, a biologist and researcher at the UdeA Herpetology Group (GHA).

How did H. diabolus get its name?

According to professor Rivera, scientific names are mostly used to draw attention and make a name easy to remember for those who are not familiar with science.

Now, researchers are working to better understand this new species. The species name (diabolus) is the Latin word for devil, which was given in allusion to its hypertrophied forelimbs, enlarged prepollex with a projecting spine (probably used in combat with other male frogs), trident-shaped vomers, and dark red iris. The devil, according to Christianity, is the spirit of evil and has been historically depicted as a human figure with horns, cloven hoofs, fire-red eyes, trident, and tail.

“The name has nothing to do with the devil, in fact, it is related to the morphology of this species. Our challenge is to make a formal description of a newly discovered species before human activities cause its extinction,” Rivera said.  

Although the frog has been formally described by scientists, much research remains to be done on this species, especially in regard to lifestyle and behavioral patterns. “Tree frogs are a diverse and fascinating family of amphibians. Unlike other members of this family, which are usually found in ponds, tree frogs of the genus Hyloscirtus live near creaks, streams and rivers,” Rivera added.

So far, only two individuals of this species have been identified. “This is a relatively rare frog, probably because not enough individuals have been collected. On the other hand, Karla García-Burneo, my Peruvian colleague, who was responsible for much of the fieldwork, did not stay long enough to identify important characteristics of this species such as the singing and how they reproduce,” Rivera said.   

Sometimes, it may take weeks or even months for a researcher to identify specific characteristics of a species, and in many cases, morphology can help determine evolutionary traits and attributes.

The study was led by a team of herpetologists including Karla García, a researcher at the Ornithology and Biodiversity Center (CORBIDI) in Peru, and Canadian scientist Taran Grant, director of the Amphibian Research Laboratory at the University of Sao Paulo. 

UdeA researcher Mauricio Rivera headed for a museum in Lima, Peru, in order to analyze a group of individuals collected by García. “I knew it was a new species as soon as I saw it, so we started working on the description,” says Rivera. 

Then the researchers engaged in gathering evidence and conducted morphological and molecular analysis of the specimens. It is necessary to conduct histological and chromatographic analysis, among other tests, to determine whether H. diabolus is a poisonous species. “The presence of a sticky secretion (probably used as a way to scare off predators) suggests that the frog may be poisonous,” Rivera said.

As a Herpetology Group member, professor Rivera focuses his research in the field of the diversity, systematics and taxonomy of amphibians, mainly frogs, toads, salamanders and caecilians. Colombia has the second largest number of amphibians in the world. “We have at least 800 recognized species of toads and frogs, and there are probably many more left to discover, which makes Colombia an exceptional place to conduct this sort of research,” he said.

According to professor Rivera, it is worth highlighting research on biodiversity conducted in Colombia despite some financial constraints.  However, research is often constrained by a lack of public policies aimed at ensuring the conservation of species in areas threatened by mining. "Is like the Bible story of David and Goliath," Rivera said.      

To learn more about Professor Rivera-Correa’s work and for more information about H. diabolus, please visit Professor Rivera’s website.