Herps in the News: New Frog Species

In one of the most populated cities in the world a new species of frog was discovered, by a graduate student, on Staten Island. The new frog species, which has not been named yet, closely resembles the southern leopard frog (Lithobates sphenocephlaus) but produces a unique mating call of a single, rather than multiple, chuckle. The frog’s unique mating call was first notices back in 2009 by Jeremy Feinberg while on Staten Island. Since then, a team of researcher out at UCLA have compared the DNA of the new frog species to that of a dozen other leopard frogs found in the area and found in to be a truly different species. The range of which includes Midtown Manhattan to Trenton NJ and even in parts of Connecticut. The new frog species has gone unnoticed the better part of a century because many believed it to be the southern or northern leopard frog and that any amphibian would be unable to survive in highly urban areas. Amphibians are highly susceptible to changes in their environment with their glandular skin and biphasic life. As of now, more studies are being conducted to learn more about the new species and the results will be published in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.

When reading this article, the writer was trying to inform a general audience about the discovery of this new species of frog. The language used in the article was clear and precise and did not bog the reader down with too much technical information. The author included interviews with the researchers involved with the project, including the man who first noticed the differences in the mating calls, as well as, those scientists involved with the molecular data. The author also include the name of the journal where the results of the study will be published so that those interested in the story can continue to follow it later on down the road. In my opinion, this article is a way of showing those, without a scientific background, that new discoveries can happen in all different places, even ones where one might not expect. This article also shows that there is still a lot to learn about the world around us and we should all do are part to ensure that it last.     

Sources:

·         http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/nyregion/new-leopard-frog-species-is-discovered-in-nyc.html

·         http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20120317/NEWS/120319767?p=3&tc=pg&tc=ar