June 2, 2016
Inaccessibility and mysticism
surrounding the mist-veiled mountains of the central Andes make this region
promising to hide treasures. With an area of 2197 km2, most of the Llanganates
National Park, Ecuador, is nearly unreachable and is traversed only by foot.
However, fieldwork conducted by researchers from the Museo de Zoología at
Catholic University of Ecuador resulted in the discovery of a more real and
tangible gem: biodiversity.
Among other surprises, during
their expeditions the researchers discovered two new species of rain frogs,
formally named P. llanganati and P. yanezi. The new species are characterized by
the spiny appearance typical of several species inhabiting montane forests. The
study was published in the open access journal ZooKeys.
The new rain frogs belong to the
megadiverse genus Pristimantis. They are direct-developing frogs, which
means that they lack a tadpole stage and therefore do not undergo
metamorphosis.
The Neotropical Andes houses a
spectacular radiation of Pristimantis, especially in the Montane Forests
of the eastern slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes. The species richness of this
genus is still underestimated as a consequence of their cryptic morphology and
the still sparse amphibian inventories in unexplored regions such as the
Llanganates National Park.
The discovery reminds the authors
of a mystic local legend dating from the 16th century, when the Inca Empire
fell into the hands of Spanish conquerors. Word has it that in exchange for the
young emperor's life, Atahualpa, Incas offered to fill an entire room with tons
of gold. However, the Spaniards broke their promise and the emperor was
executed. A small group of loyal Incas led by General Rumiñahui decided to hide
both, the mummy of Atahualpa and the gold, in the depths of the jungle of the
Llanganates National Park.
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