Boophis pikei, a newly named species of Madagascar frog
Miguel Vences (CC-BY-SA 4.0)
In the forests of Madagascar, researchers have discovered seven new species of frogs and named them after characters. Star Trek.
“The frog calls remind us of the franchise’s iconic futuristic sound effects,” he says. Mark D. Joke In the Danish Museum of Natural History.
Boophis marojezensis It is a small, brown frog found in the humid forests of Madagascar. It was first described in 1994, but over time, researchers began to wonder if this dog-eyed amphibian was actually more than one species.
To find out, Scherz and his colleagues collected as much data as possible from different people B. marojezensis collected over three decades. They recorded and analyzed the frogs’ calls, compared their physical characteristics and sequenced their DNA.
Their results showed that what was previously thought to be a single species of frog is actually eight different ones. Physically, they look almost identical, says Scherz. “The main differences are in the sounds they produce. Their ear-splitting, high-pitched, hissing calls differ in both pitch and timing of the whistles.’ DNA sequencing also showed genetic differences, confirming that they are different species.
Male frogs use bird-like calls to attract females, and since these newly named species live near streams, Scherz believes they have developed high-pitched whistles to make their songs stand out from the din of flowing water. However, much about the life of these frogs remains a mystery.
One of the species is named Boophis kirki, In honor of James T. Kirk. Others include Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Kathryn Janeway, Jonathan Archer, Michael Burnham and Christopher Pike.
“We wanted to honor the captains who lead their teams on missions of exploration and discovery,” says Scherz. “It can serve as a reminder of how much discovery there is still to do on Earth before we turn our eyes to the stars.”
Topics:
