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Jul 31, 2018

After a century of study, famed tree frog named new species

"It's remarkable that such a distinctive new species has remained undetected for such a long time," said researcher Andrew Gray.
By
Brooks Hays

An iconic tree frog has a new name and classification, thanks to researchers at the University of Manchester.

Andrew Gray, curator of herpetology at Manchester Museum, named the new
species Sylvia's tree frog after his young granddaughter. The species
scientific name is Cruziohyla sylviae.

Nearly two decades of research led to this week's description of the new species in the journal Zootaxa.

Scientists have, however, been unwittingly studying Sylvia's tree frog
for much longer. Sylvia's tree frog looks a lot like the splendid tree
frog, which was first discovered in Panama in 1902. Gray and his
colleagues now know scientists first observed Sylvia's tree frog in
1925, but for nearly a century, the two remained confused.

That an iconic species is actually two unique species is exciting news.
In this instance, however, it means conservationists must protect two
threatened species, not one.

The discovery of Sylvia's tree frog means the splendid tree frog is even
rarer than scientists thought. Researchers estimate that there are
fewer than 50 splendid tree frogs in the wild, and only 150 Sylvia's
tree frogs.

"It's remarkable that such a distinctive new species has remained
undetected for such a long time," Gray said in a news release. "However,
more importantly, this work highlights that an assessment of the
conservation needs for each species is urgently required to ensure these
amazing creatures are still around in another 100 years."

Scientists were able to contextualize their most recent analysis of the
two tree frogs thanks to the Manchester Museum's significant fossil
record.

"It's a real privilege to be maintaining such rare frogs in our
collection and supporting amphibian conservation around the planet,"
said museum director Esme Ward. "This multi-disciplined research
highlights the importance of museum collections, where both live and
historical specimens are aiding current taxonomy to make a real
difference in shaping the future of wildlife conservation."
https://www.geezgo.com/sps/32952