Frogs thought to be extinct rediscovered

Two rare species of tropical frogs that were thought to have gone extinct have been rediscovered in a remote forest region of South America that was destined to be developed for holiday homes.

Scientists said that it is the first time in 14 years that anyone has seen the two critically endangered animals and their sightings give hope to other species of amphibians that are feared to have succumbed to a global fungal infection.

The two frogs - the Santa Marta Harlequin frog (Atelopus laetissimus) and the San Lorenzo Harlequin frog (Atelopus nahumae) - were found by biologists working in the El Dorado Nature Reserve on the northwest slope of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta massif, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia.

The area is one of the highest coastal mountain ranges in the world, rising from the shores of the Caribbean Sea to almost 19,000 feet.

It contains an extraordinary number of species found nowhere else but was going to be developed for as a tourist resort until it was protected earlier this year.

Frogs, toads, newts and salamanders - the amphibians - are as a group suffering a greater rate of extinction than any other class of animals.

One reason is the rapid spread of a fungal disease called chytridiomycosis, which is thought to have spread over the past 50 years by the global trade in African frogs for research purposes.

Neither of the rediscovered frog species were infected with the fungal disease, raising hopes that the species can be saved in the newly protected area, according to Conservation International based in Washington DC.

The fungus has been found as close as 25 miles away on the other side of the Sierra Madre mountains, and scientists studying the frogs hope to learn how they have avoided the infection.

"It's a race against time to prevent chytridiomycosis from wiping out amphibian populations, but now we have discovered what appears to be healthy populations of these endangered species," said Claude Gascon of Conservation International.

"Creating the El Dorado Nature Reserve has given Colombia and the world a unique jewel that will prevent the extinction of threatened species of birds and frogs found nowhere else on the planet," Mr Gascon said.

Amphibians live on land but need water to breed and it is thought that this dual requirement may make them especially vulnerable to climate change and loss of suitable breeding habitats.

In recent years, however, scientists have realised that the spread of the fungus has probably put added strain on many species of amphibians and so discovering any wild populations that appear to have developed an immunity may help other species at risk.

"These rediscoveries are particularly important as they represent species of frogs that are very sensitive to the disease and which were thought to possibly be extinct" said Paul Salaman of the American Bird Conservancy, which is working with Conservation International.

"Their rediscovery shows that there is hope to find healthy populations and protect them," Mr Salaman said.

El Dorado is the sole breeding ground of the Endangered Santa Marta Parakeet, and home to five threatened amphibians found nowhere else in the world.

The site also is a vital stopover point for declining neotropical migratory birds that breed in the United States and Canada, such as the Cerulean and Golden-winged Warblers.

Researchers at Colombia's Magdalena University and El Dorado Nature Reserve found the two rediscovered frog species on a research trip funded by the Darwin Initiative and the National Environmental Action Fund.

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