This gives ‘let’s rock’ a whole new meaning.
A new tree frog discovered in the Andes mountains in Ecuador has been named after one of the researcher’s favorite musicians, the renowned British rock band Led Zeppelin.
The research, published in Neotropical Biodiversity, details the finding of Pristimantis ledzeppelin, or Led Zeppelin’s Rain Frog, a tree frog found in Ecuador.
The frog, which has red eyes and a yellow, brown, black and orange skin, can reach 2.4 centimeters at maturity for males and 3.6 centimeters for females, according to The Guardian.
‘The name honors Led Zeppelin and their extraordinary music,’ the researchers wrote in the study.
‘Led Zeppelin was a British rock band formed in London in 1968, one of the most influential bands throughout the 1970s, and progenitors of both hard rock and heavy metal.’
The researchers said the newly discovered frog is most similar to Pristimantis muscosus, which lives in the Cordillera Central in northern Peru.
However, it can be differentiated by its snout, skin color, and several other features, including orange, irregular blotches on its groin and the lower surfaces of its hind limbs.
A new tree frog has been discovered in Ecuador and it is named after British rock band Led Zeppelin. So far, only three specimens have been found, including two males
The frog has red eyes and a yellow, brown, black and orange skin. Males can reach 2.4cm at maturity and females can reach 3.6cm
Known as Pristimantis ledzeppelin, or Led Zeppelin’s Rain Frog, ‘the name honors Led Zeppelin and their extraordinary music,’ the researchers wrote
Pristimantis ledzeppelin was discovered in the Ecuadorian Andes in the Cordillera del Condor
So far, only three specimens of P. ledzeppelin have been found, including two males, on vegetation, the researchers added in the study.
‘All specimens were found on shrub vegetation surrounding streams inside mature forest, where they perched on bush leaves, between 170 and 300 cm above the water body.’
‘Due to the high endemism of the Cordillera del Cóndor, the new species here described is likely to be found only in this restricted area, therefore it is important to consider new long-term initiatives for small vertebrate conservation actions,’ the researchers added.
In addition, they were collected with other ampibians, ‘such as Chimerella mariaelenae, Pristimantis quaquaversus, P. prolatus and P. galdi.’
In one of the specimens’ stomachs, the researchers identified remnants of beetles, ants and snails and slugs.
Although it is new to science, it’s possible P. ledzeppelin could already be endangered, given where it was located.
‘The Cordillera del Cóndor is part of one of the most threatened ecoregions in the world, since it is part of tropical Andes,’ the researchers surmised, noting the region faces threats from agricultural expansion, mining and climate change.
