Ten new amphibian species discovered in Colombia

[Judi Lynn]

Ten new amphibian species discovered in Colombia
By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent – 2 hrs 48 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ten new species of amphibians -- including three kinds of poisonous frogs and three transparent-skinned glass frogs -- have been discovered in the mountains of Colombia, conservationists said Monday.

With amphibians under threat around the globe, the discovery was an encouraging sign and reason to protect the area where they were found, said Robin Moore, an amphibian expert at the environmental group Conservation International.

The nine frog species and one salamander species were found in the mountainous Tacarcuna area of the Darien region near Colombia's border with Panama.

Because amphibians have permeable skin, they are exposed directly to the elements and can offer early warnings about the impact of environmental degradation and climate change, Moore said. As much as one-third of all amphibians in the world are threatened with extinction, he said.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090202/sc_nm/us_amphibians_1

[ZombieHorde]

1. Are any of them lickable? Good find. nt

[Judi Lynn]

2. See-Through Frogs Discovered in Colombian Rain Forest

See-Through Frogs Discovered in Colombian Rain Forest
Tuesday, February 03, 2009

http://www.foxnews.com.nyud.net:8090/images/499829/0_61_090203_glass_frog.jpg

Conservation International-Colombia/Marco Rada

A glass frog, potentially new to science, of the
Nymphargus genus discovered in the mountains
of the Darien in Colombia.

Ten newfound species of amphibians — including a frog with spiky skin and three varieties of frogs with transparent skin — have been discovered in the mountains of Colombia.

The new species were found on a recent expedition led by herpetologists from Conservation International and ornithologists from the Ecotrópico Foundation in Colombia's mountainous Tacarcuna area of the Darien, near the border with Panama.

Over a period of three weeks, the scientists identified approximately 60 species of amphibians, 20 reptiles and almost 120 species of birds, many of them apparently found nowhere else in the world.

More:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,487464,00.html
Of the 60 documented amphibians, the potentially new species include three glass frogs of the Nymphargus, Cochranella and Centrolene genera; three poison dart frogs in the Dendrobatidae family (Colostethus, Ranitomeya and Anomaloglossus genera); one harlequin frog of the Atelopus genus; two species of rain frogs of the Pristimantis genera; and one salamander of the Bolitoglossa genus.