Mountain creature with see-through belly found in Venezuela. It’s a new species
On an isolated mountain peak in Venezuela, a brown-eyed creature with a see-through belly perched on a rock. Its remote home and “cryptic” appearance likely helped it avoid detection or, when occasionally found, be misidentified.
But it turned out to be a new species.
Philippe Kok summited a remote tabletop mountain, known as Angasima-tepui, in 2011 to survey wildlife, he wrote in a study published Aug. 1 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoological Letters. He was looking for a frog species that previous researchers believed to be widespread on several mountains.
But Kok wasn’t convinced.
These mountains were separated by rivers and generally difficult to access, so how did a small frog species populate several peaks? Instead, he suspected that this species was actually several “cryptic” species being lumped together and decided to investigate.
During his searches, Kok found nine of these small brown frogs, the study said. He took a closer look at the amphibians and soon realized he’d discovered a new species: Stefania imawari.
Stefania imawari frogs are considered “small,” reaching just over 2 inches in length, the study said. They have “rounded” snouts, “large” tongues and “flared” lips. Their “dark brown” eyes have “extensive” brown markings and sometimes a “faint blueish-grey tint.”
A photo shows the new species. Overall, it has a light brown coloring and bumpy-looking skin. Seen from below, its belly is “slightly translucent” with “some internal organs visible.”
Stefania imawari frogs vary in coloring from “almost plain golden brown, chestnut brown, medium brown to dark greenish brown,” the study said. Photos show this variation.
The new species was found sitting on rocks, plants or on the ground at night or “hiding under rocks during the day,” Kok said. Its habitat was a “mix of exposed rocks and richly vegetated areas” at elevations of about 7,000 feet.
Stefania frogs have a “unique breeding behaviour consisting of females carrying eggs on their back,” the study said. “The exposed eggs are glued to the female’s dorsum (back) by fluids secreted by the female during amplexus (mating) and develop into froglets on the female’s back.”
Kok did not see any Stefania imawari frogs carrying eggs but saw one female with a “glutinous patch” on its back likely left from this behavior.
Kok said he named the new species “imawari” after the “malicious spirits that inhabit the tepuis,” according to the traditional beliefs of the Pemón indigenous people who live in the area.
So far, Stefania imawari frogs have only been found on Angasima-tepui, the study said. This mountain is in eastern Venezuela and near the border with Brazil and Guyana.
The new species was identified by its eye color, skin texture, skeleton, body shape and DNA, the study said.
Kok also discovered a second new species of frog, Stefania upuigmae, on a nearby mountain.
This story was originally published August 7, 2024 at 2:20 PM with the headline "Mountain creature with see-through belly found in Venezuela. It’s a new species."
