‘Cryptic’ mountain creature with ‘blue’ bones discovered as new species in Ecuador
As night fell across a mountain ravine in Ecuador, a “cryptic” creature with “blue” bones emerged from its hiding spot and perched on some plants. Its “leather”-patterned eyes scanned its surroundings, but it wasn’t the only one looking around.
Hiking scientists found the “slender” animal — and discovered a new species.
Researchers visited several sites in the Andes mountains of eastern Ecuador as part of a yearslong project to document the area’s amphibian diversity. They focused on a group of treefrogs often misidentified because of their highly varied coloring, according to a study published March 13 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys.
During nighttime surveys of Maycu Nature Reserve, researchers found a few of these treefrogs. They took a closer look at the animals and soon realized they’d discovered a new species: Hyloscirtus maycu, or the Maycu stream frog.
Maycu stream frogs have “slender” bodies, reaching about 1.7 inches in length, the study said. They have “blue” bones, “smooth” skin and cream or “pinkish” eyes with a “leather”-like pattern.
Photos show the various green hues of the new species. Some frogs have brown-tinged heads or blue armpits, while others appear more uniformly light green. Seen from below, the frogs have yellowy-orange stomachs.
Maycu stream frogs live in the forested foothills of the Andes mountains, the study said. They’re nocturnal and were found at night in ravines, calling from plants or near streams.
Researchers said they named the new species after the Maycu Nature Reserve where it was first discovered and one of only two locations where it has been found. These nearby sites are in southeastern Ecuador and along the border with Peru.
Although the new species lives partially in a protected area, researchers considered the frogs vulnerable because of the ongoing risk of habitat loss.
The new species was identified by its preferred habitat, DNA, skin folds, bumps, eye coloring and advertisement call, the study said.
The research team included Andrea Varela-Jaramillo, Jeffrey Streicher, Pablo Venegas and Santiago Ron.
The team also discovered two other new species: the Elbakyan stream frog and dispersed stream frog.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 2:30 PM with the headline "‘Cryptic’ mountain creature with ‘blue’ bones discovered as new species in Ecuador."
