New Bright Orange Poison Dart Frog Species Discovered in Panama

Researchers have discovered a new species near the headwaters of the Rio Cano in Panama. The bright orange poison dart frog has a unique call, and was named Andinobates geminisae.

Known for their bright colors, poison dart frogs can be found in tropical locations in Central and South America. All of these poison dart frogs are somewhat toxic, excreting toxins through their skin, though the toxicity varies considerably from one species to another. This toxicity is used as a defense mechanism while their bright patterns warn predators away.

The first specimen of the new species was actually collected in February of 2011. Then other individuals were collected from different locations, including the Rio Cocle del Norte and the Rio Belen. These specimens were only classified as a new species recently, though, because researchers weren't sure whether or not they were just another color variation of another poison dart frog species.

"Abel Batista and Marcos Ponce were the first to note the presence of this species," said Cesar Jaramillo, Smithsonian herpetologist, in a news release. "They've known it was there for several years. However, they were not sure if it was only a variety of another poison dart frog species, Oophaga pumilio, which exhibits tremendous color variation. Based on morphological characteristics of the adult and the tadpole, I thought it might be a new species of Andinobates."

In fact, the researchers had to sequence the frog's DNA before they could confirm that it was indeed a new species. The scientists also recorded the new frog's call, which can be found online at amphibiaweb.org.

The frog can only be found in a very small area. This means that habitat loss and collecting for the pet trade are major threats to the new species. Currently, the researchers recommend that conservations plans should be put into effect in order to guarantee its survival, especially as the cytrid fungal disease impacts amphibians.

The findings are published in the journal Zootaxa.