Discover a new poisonous frog in Panama

(A brilliant orange-red dart frog discovered in Donoso, Panama, has been researched by researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Autonoma de Chiriquí University in Panama, Universidad. de los Andes in Colombia described.

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This frog is named Andinobates geminisae after Geminis Vargas, "the beloved wife of Marcos Ponce, a co-author of the study, has unconditionally supported his research on reptiles in Panama. ".

Each new species name is based on a representative sample. Specimens of this frog were collected on February 21, 2011, at the Rio Cano upstream, Donoso district, Colón province, Panama, by a researcher named Samuel Valdés, who was then a lip manager. MWH Global Inc.'s school, and his assistant, Carlos de la Cruz.

Other samples were collected from Cocle del Norte and Rio Belen by biologists Marcos Ponce and Abel Batista, then a student at Autonoma de Chiriquí University. The specimens were sent to the Museo de Vertebrados at the University of Panama, Museo de Herpetólogico Chiriquí at the Universidad Autonoma de Chiriquí and at Círculo Herpetólogico Panama.

"Abel Batista and Marcos Ponce were the first to pay attention to the presence of this species," said Cesar Jaramillo, a researcher. "They have known this creature for many years. However, they are not sure whether this frog is just a poisonous dart frog, Oophaga pumilio, which shows very sharp color changes. The morphological characteristics of mature tadpoles and frogs, I think it may be a new species of them Andinobates, Professor Andrew Crawford of Universidad de Los Andes University analyzed the DNA sequence and confirmed This is a new frog species of the Andinobates frog family ".

Genetic information of this species is available in Barcode of Life Data System and Genetic Bank (GenBank) data system. This new frog seems to be found only in one area, their habitat is narrowed and their existence is threatened by trade in ornamental organisms. The authors of the study proposed to develop a special conservation plan to ensure the survival of this new frog.

The geminisae is included in the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation project, Panama, includes six zoos and research institutes dedicated to amphibians rescued from fungal infections. chytrid, the fungus that killed 1/10 amphibians globally, and lost residence.