Seven new species of frogs were discovered in Ecuadoramong which is a new type that has been named ‘phyllonastes dicaprioi’ in tribute to the American actor Leonardo DiCaprio due to “its outstanding commitment to natural conservation.”
The species that bears the name of the American actor is diminutive build, brown with dark markings and a cream dorsal stripeas announced this Wednesday in a statement by the National Biodiversity Institute (Inabio), which was part of the research together with the Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE) and the San Francisco de Quito University (USFQ).
The ‘DiCaprio’ frog is present in the Western Montane Forest of the southern coastal province of El Oro, bordering Peru, at altitudes between 1,330 and 1,705 meters above sea level.
DiCaprio’s prominent role as an “impact” figure in environmental protection led researchers to name this frog with his surname, as “a symbolic recognition of his contribution to conservation.”
On several occasions DiCaprio has publicly supported environmental conservation initiatives in Ecuador, such as the closure of Block 43-ITT, one of the oil exploitations located within the Amazonian Yasuní National Park, and the initiatives against the Llurimagua mining project, in the north of the Ecuadorian Andes.
In the same research, a “completely new” genus of amphibians called ‘Urkuphryne’, which lives in northern Ecuador and differs from its sister group Phyllonastes, due to features such as the presence of vomerine teeth, the shape of its fingers or a greater body length.
The other species discovered are ‘Phyllonastes cerrogolondrinas’, ‘Phyllonastes ecuadoriensis’, ‘Phyllonastes macuma’, ‘Phyllonastes plateadensis’, ‘Phyllonastes sardinayacu’ and ‘Phyllonastes personinus’, which inhabit montane forests and lowlands that face threats such as deforestation. and the climate change.
According to the authors of the study, this report highlights the extraordinary biodiversity of Ecuador as “one of the most biodiverse countries in the world” and also underlines the urgency of “protecting the critical habitats where these frogs live before they are lost forever.”
Likewise, it highlights the “vital” role of forests as protective and refuge agents for these endemic species: “the Cerro Golondrinas Protective Forest and the Cerro Plateado Biological Reserve are key to the conservation of these amphibians and other endangered species,” they concluded. .