Rhinella lilyrodriguezae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rhinella lilyrodriguezae | |
|---|---|
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| A specimen of R. lilyrodriguezae photographed during the day | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Bufonidae |
| Genus: | Rhinella |
| Species: | R. lilyrodriguezae |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhinella lilyrodriguezae Cusi, Moravec, Lehr, and Gvoždík, 2017 | |
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| The green dot corresponds to where the holotype was found and the red lines are the boundary of the Cordillera Azul National Park. | |
Rhinella lilyrodriguezae is a species of frog in the family Bufonidae, which is found in Cordillera Azul National Park in Peru.
Some of the striking characteristics of the species are the elongated snout and the color change between day and night, becoming lighter during the day.
It was described on May 12, 2017 by four researchers in the journal ZooKeys. Its name is a tribute to researcher Lily Rodriguez, who was responsible for the discovery of several species and the creation of several national parks in Peru. It does not yet have an official conservation status defined, but researchers classify it as a data deficient species.
The species was described on May 12, 2017, by biologists Juan C. Cusi, Jiří Moravec, Edgar Lehr and Václav Gvoždík in the scientific journal ZooKeys.[1] It was described as belonging to the genus Rhinella, but specifically to the Rhinella festae clade, the result of which was discovered from genetic and molecular analyses. A total of six individuals were collected in Cordillera Azul National Park in 2013, and the holotype was found in Alto Biavo, at an altitude of 1 260 meters, on September 27, 2013, and it was a pregnant female. It was diagnosed as a new species because it had a number of unique characteristics, such as being large in size, having eight pre-sacral vertebrae, with the sacrum fused to the coccyx, an elongated and pointed snout, and its coloration. Genetic tests were also done on the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, attesting to its specialization. It was named Rhinella lilyrodriguezae in honor of herpetologist Lily Rodriguez, for her discoveries in the area of Peruvian amphibians and for promoting the creation of several natural parks in Peru, such as the one where the species was discovered.[2]
Distribution and conservation
Currently, the only place where the species has been found is Cordillera Azul National Park, in the Alto Biavo district in northern Peru, with elevations between 1,245 and 1,280.[3] Here there is noise pollution and extraction of wood and soil, which together with the habits of the local population, such as subsistence hunting and extensive fishing, threaten the local biodiversity. So far the species has not been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), so there is no official conservation status, but researchers suggest its classification as a data-deficient species.[2] With its discovery, 94 species of the genus Rhinella are totaled.[4]
