Frog Puke Helps Scientists Discover New Ant Species

Who would have thought that a frog can discover something new? Yes, nature indeed is majestic. A devil frog puked and experts were surprised for what is in store for them. Experts found new ant species with the help of a puking frog.

Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri, the new ant species is a tropical ant which can be found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama. A myrmecologist at the University of Rochester, New York Christian Christian Rabeling, said it is named after the German ant expert on his 80^th birthday, Bert Hölldobler who discovers the new species in the devil's frog or diablo's puke at Ecuador.

Oophaga sylvatican the so-called devil's frog or Diablito's is a poisonous bright orange frog known for eating ants. Because it is an ant-eating frog it is likely to hunt bugs in small hard to go to places. Thus, the scientist uses them as a tool to go to places scientists can no longer access. After they have captured experts then flush their stomachs which cause them to vomit. Researchers then look for potential discoveries just like the new species of ant, according to Zoo Keys.

However, the only specimen of L. hoelldobleri was found dead inside the stomach of the frog, so scientists cannot study it further. But, using a high-powered stereomicroscope to more or less look at the ant, it gives them few clues on how the insect lived.

Rabeling said that the shape of the mandibles looks like a forceps, which means that the ant uses its mouthparts to pry even smaller preys such as termites. The measurement of the L. hoelldobleri is less than a quarter inch long. In line with this, Rabeling admits that the findings are just his speculations.

The scientist is now challenged to find and study the L. hoelldobleri in the Eucadran rain forest. If successful the ants can undergo "cafeteria test." The test is offering a certain animal with multiple prey to see what it prefers. The struggle for them is finding the ant itself.

Devil frog can help them for further research for it can locate the ants. Christian Rabeling added that "Sometimes people think that our world is very well explored, nothing could be farther from the truth," in a report by National Geographic Channel.