A study presented on March 14, 2019, reveals that a new amphibian species has been discovered in southern Ecuador! It is a frog that has been baptised as “Lynchius megacephalus”, the Latin name for “big head”. It was discovered in the páramos (the high part of the Andes Mountains) of the Yacuri National Park, near the border with Peru.
The amphibian, of which only one specimen has been found, is characterised by having a relatively large, rough skull that is heavily ossified, a phenomenon referred to by researchers as “cranial exostosis”. The bones are fused with the skin. In addition, the animal has several small protrusions on its rough back.
The investigation lasted eighteen months with regular visits to the reserve where the specimen was located. Scientists from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (Quito) and the Instituto Nacional de A study, presented on March 14, 2019, reveals that a new amphibian species has been discovered in southern Ecuador. It is a frog that has been christened “Lynchius megacephalus”, the Latin name for “big head”. Ecuador is known as a hotspot of biodiversity in amphibians: at least 589 species live in the country. (INABIO), as well as the universities of Central Florida and the Nacional de Colombia took part in the study. The study concludes that the diversity of specimens in the ecosystem on the border of Ecuador and Peru is greater than previously thought.
Ecuador is known as a biodiversity hotspot in amphibians: at least 589 species live in the country (and new discoveries are made every year), 45 percent of which are endemic and therefore not found anywhere else in the world (source: National Geographic).
