A complete novice to science, this snub-nosed tree frog (Scinax juruena) was recently discovered in the South. … [+]
A new article has been published on Pro Swan We are documenting the existence of a new species of tree frog with a nose that changes color. synax juruena. It was discovered in the Juruena River Archipelago in Brazil’s Mato Grosso state by a research team led by Harvard University’s Micaías Ferrao.
Here are some of its distinctive features:
- synax juruena It changes its appearance during the day and night. During the day it is grayish-brown with spots, spots and stripes on its back. At night, the color of the head and body turns brownish-yellow with small light brown dots.
- The adult’s large body, prominent vocal sac, reddish-brown horizontal stripes on the iris, black spots on the vocal sac and throat of females, and the uniform brown color of the thighs, etc. It can be distinguished from other snouted tree frogs.
- It is known to inhabit the forested areas of four small islands in the Juruena River archipelago in the southern Amazon region.
- They mate during the rainy season from November to May. “Large choruses of breeding males were observed after more than two consecutive days of heavy rain,” the researchers said. “Males will perch on shrubs or small trunks and sing in or near large ponds created by river flooding or small ponds created by low-lying rainwater. As many as three males can be found on the same shrub. I discovered that there is.”
Researchers first recorded the new species while surveying islands along the Juruena River in 2019-2020. During these surveys, they noticed a snub-nosed tree frog whose mating calls and appearance resembled none of the currently known species. Subsequent genetic analysis confirmed the field assessment. Tree frogs are genetically distinct and deserve recognition as a new species.
Daytime tree frogs adopt a completely different look in exchange for their nighttime yellow color … [+]
Researchers also investigated mainland forests along both banks of the Juruena River adjacent to the island where the new species lives, but found no additional populations. Therefore, as is currently known, synax juruena It is confined to a small number of islands with a total area of less than 1 square kilometer.
If this accurately reflects the entire distribution of the new species, then synax juruena According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List criteria, it is classified as an “endangered species.” However, the researchers say more data is needed to confirm the range of the new species, and recommend listing the species’ conservation status as “data deficient” at this time.
And although this species is new to science, it already faces many threats. “The construction of large numbers of hydropower plants in this region is likely to jeopardize the survival of this species,” the researchers say.
Three large dams are currently being planned along the Juruena River, potentially disrupting the natural flooding cycles on which many species associated with river environments depend, including the newly discovered tree frog. there is.
Furthermore, areas where tree frogs live already face environmental pressures from illegal mining, unsustainable agriculture, overfishing, and unchecked logging.
Synax juruena breeding grounds under increasing pressure from human encroachment … [+]
“We urge the Brazilian licensing authority to carry out an environmental impact assessment, including comprehensive sampling of the islands of the Juruena River and adjacent areas, to assess the risk of extinction.” synax juruena “It is important to take meaningful conservation measures before rivers are overwhelmed by hydropower projects,” the authors conclude.
The discovery of this new tree frog highlights that many parts of the Amazon region are still underexplored and studied from a biodiversity perspective. New research into remote regions of the Amazon continues to uncover many new species.For example, even within this group of tree frogs (genus Synax), six new Amazonian species were revealed during remote field surveys between 2014 and 2018.
Remarkably, based on the genetic analysis performed in the study, the researchers also detected eight more new species of snouted tree frogs that are still waiting to be described. In the Amazon, there seems to be an ongoing race between discovery and extinction.
