Hyalinobatrachium dianae

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Hyalinobatrachium dianae
Systematics
Order : Frog (anura)
Subordination : Neobatrachia
Family : Glass frogs (Centrolenidae)
Subfamily : Hyalinobatrachiinae
Genre : Hyalinobatrachium
Type : Hyalinobatrachium dianae
Scientific name
Hyalinobatrachium dianae
Kubicki , Salazar & Puschendorf , 2015

Hyalinobatrachium dianae is a species of frog in the glass frog familythat was discoveredin Costa Rica in2015. In the press, Hyalinobatrachium dianae is compared to Kermit from the Muppet Show and Sesame Street because of its light green color and large black pupils with white irises .

description

Like almost all glass frogs, Hyalinobatrachium dianae is about 2.5 centimeters long and relatively small even in the adult stage . The frog is brightly green on the top, but its skin is transparent on the underside, so that the heart, digestive system and, in females, the maturing eggs can be seen from the outside. Outwardly it resembles a tree frog and, like this one, has adhesive discs on the extremities. Its large, strongly protruding and forward-facing eyes with horizontally slit pupils and silvery-white irises with black dots are striking.

Hyalinobatrachium dianae differs from other species of the genus Hyalinobatrachium by its monochrome dorsal skin without dark or light shades and without points or spots. In contrast, the skin has a grainy surface structure.

The calling of the males is also characteristic. The call consists of a metallic whistle with a pitch of 3.35 to 3.44 kilohertz and a duration of around half a second. This vocalization, together with other factors, was decisive for the late discovery of the frog species, as the researchers assigned it to an insect rather than a glass frog.

Molecular genetic studies have shown that the genetic distance to other species of the genus Hyalinobatrachium is large enough to confirm the species status. The difference in a gene that synthesizes cytochrome c oxidase is 12.4 percent compared to its closest relative, Hyalinobatrachium chirripoi .

Occurrence

Hyalinobatrachium dianae lives in the foliage of the rainforests on the foothills of the Caribbean mountain ranges in northeast Costa Rica and occurs at altitudes between 400 and 900 meters. The species is only known from three localities between Santa Clara in the province of Heredia and the upper reaches of the Río Victoria in the province of Limón . Its range is largely in protected areas and is currently little endangered by human settlement and management.

Way of life

The frogs are nocturnal . The males sit on the underside of the leaves at a height of 0.5 to 5 meters, often near a clutch that is also attached to the underside of the leaf by the females. They choose plants whose branches do not hang directly over a body of water, but which grow on a sloping point near streams so that a heavy rain shower can wash the brood into the nearby body of water.

So far, the biologists have not been able to predict the advertising behavior of Hyalinobatrachium dianae . Often several males make themselves noticeable in one night through their mating calls, in another night no activities are noticeable with the same weather conditions and moon phase .

Research history

The type locality of Hyalinobatrachium dianae is in the Cordillera de Talamanca in Costa Rica. The species was described after six specimens that were collected from Brian Kubicki and Stanley Salazar on October 13, 2013 in the area. Together with Robert Puschendorf , the two researchers at the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center described the new frog species and published their scientific work in February 2015. However, it was not until April 2015 that the Amphibian Research Center published the results on a blog . Only then did the science journalists notice the resemblance of the slender frog to the Kermit doll from the Muppet show, which had been designed by Jim Henson in the early 1970s . This resemblance is not only to be found in the lanky appearance of the frog with its thin limbs, but above all in the coloring of the back and protruding eyes. The researchers were not unhappy about the unexpected attention that the popular international media paid to the newly described frog, as they highlighted the biodiversity that is still to be discovered in states like Costa Rica and, at the same time, the endangerment, which is particularly the amphibians are exposed.

It is already the 14th species of glass frog that has become known from Costa Rica, but the last one was discovered in 1973. In total there are currently 150 described species of glass frogs, all of which are found from Central America to northern South America .

Brian Kubicki chose the species name dianae in honor of his mother, Janet Diane Kubicki, as well as the Roman goddess Diana , who is found in the wilderness and lives in forests on high mountains.

literature

  • Brian Kubicki, Stanley Salazar, Robert Puschendorf: A new species of glassfrog, genus Hyalinobatrachium (Anura: Centrolenidae), from the Caribbean foothills of Costa Rica. Zootaxa, 3920, 1, 69–84, February 2015 doi : 10.11646 / zootaxa.3920.1.4 (first description)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Costa Rica: Newly discovered frog looks like Kermit . Spiegel online , Wissenschaft, from April 22, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015 (with photos)
  2. ↑ a b c Brooks Hays: Kermit the Frog likeness found in Costa Rica . UPI, April 20, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015. 
  3. ↑ a b c d Sarah Griffiths: Meet the see-thru frog! New species of amphibian has transparent skin to reveal its organs - and Kermit's eyes . In: The Daily Mail , April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015. 
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g Brian Kubicki, Stanley Salazar, Robert Puschendorf: A new species of glassfrog, genus Hyalinobatrachium (Anura: Centrolenidae), from the Caribbean foothills of Costa Rica. Zootaxa, 3920, 1, 69–84, February 2015 doi : 10.11646 / zootaxa.3920.1.4
  5. ^ A b Darrel R. Frost: Hyalinobatrachium dianae , Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference, Version 6.0, American Museum of Natural History, 1998-2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015
  6. ↑ a b Megan Gannon: Kermit the Frog Look-Alike Discovered in Costa Rica . In: Live Science , April 22, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015. 
  7. ↑ Olivia B. Waxman: Scientists Claim They Found a New Species of Frog, and It Looks Like Kermit . In: TIME , April 20, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015. 
  8. ↑ Andrea Romano: New species of frog found in Costa Rica looks just like Kermit , Mashable. dated April 20, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015. 
  9. ^ New Glass Frog in Costa Rica , Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center, April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015
  10. ↑ Jen Marham: Kermit? New species of glass frog found . In: USA Today , April 21, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.