Burundi is located at geographic hotspot; it borders the Congo River Basin, the Great Rift Valley, and the world's second largest freshwater lake, Lake Tanganyika. Despite the recent unrest and population growth in this country, the Bururi Forest Reserve in the southwest part of the country still maintains numerous habitats.
A single specimen of the long-fingered frog (Cardioglossa cyaneospila) was found in December 2011 in Burundi, Africa. This species has not been seen by scientists since 1949, over 60 years ago. Due to political turmoil and habitat destruction in Burundi since the mid-1900s, extinction was a definite possibility.
David Blackburn, curator of the California Academy of Sciences, and Eli Greenbaum, professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, traveled to Burundi with the goal of find the long-fingered frog and other herp species described over 60 years ago. The duo spent four nights in the Bururi Forest Reserve without finding a single specimen, but on the fifth night things changed:
"I thought I heard the call and walked toward it, then waited," said Blackburn. "In a tremendous stroke of luck, I casually moved aside some grass and the frog was just sitting there on a log. I heard multiple calls over the next few nights, indicating a healthy population of the species, but I was only able to find this one specimen."
As you can see from the picture, this frog is small (1-2") and grayish-blue and black. It is aptly named because males have an extra long finger on their forefeet with an unknown purpose. Like many species in Burundi, its closest relative inhabits the mountains of Cameroon (> 1400 miles away).
The explorers intend to use the collected specimen to shed light on the genetic isolation and evolutionary history in Africa. Because they also found dozens of other species, they also hope to update IUCN conservation statuses in Burundi. Still, Burundi is largely unexplored and further investigation and coordination with local government is required to preserve what habitat remains.
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This is a newsworthy topic because this type of discovery/research is a perfect example of why wildlife preserves are important and why everyone needs to be aware of endangered species. Even though this finding was largely based on luck, the investigators knew there was a possibility that frog remained because of the preserved habitat. While the human population of the country was growing and bickering, the Bururi Forest Reserve stoically safeguarded its inhabitants. People love to hear about new species being discovered (like the leopard frog in New York); it is a major talking point. Since this species was maintained for the past 60+ years by a wildlife refuge, people may begin to consider the value of such places. I would not be surprised if this expedition yields more newsworthy results regarding evolution in Africa or new, endemic species.
Source: http://esciencenews.com/articles/2012/03/27/elusive.long.fingered.frog.found.after.62.years
1 comment:
And yay for some good news! Read an article recently suggesting that 50% habitat preservation would protect biodiversity...seems so unreasonable on one hand, but on the otherhand, that may be what we need if the other inhabitants of planet earth are to survive.
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