Cara presented part of her dissertation work with a poster titled Investigating thermal physiological traits of a nonnative amphibian, the Rio Cauca caecilian (Typhlonectes natas) at the annual FIU Biosymposium on February 7.

A new paper by Pablo Venegas and collaborators, including Alessandro, fills key gaps in what we know about the Condor Rain Frog, Pristimantis condor. The study documents new populations in Peru and reports the first description of the species’ advertisement call.
Surveys carried out from 2014–2023 revealed the species in the departments of Loreto and Amazonas. The Cordillera Escalera record pushes the known distribution about 250 km southeast of the nearest previously documented locality in Ecuador. The findings hint that P. condor may be more widespread across still poorly explored Andean foothill ranges. Every new locality and every new call helps. These baseline data improve our ability to survey remote regions, recognize hidden diversity, and plan conservation actions for Andean amphibians.
Males were typically encountered at night calling from shrubs half a meter to a meter above ground, often near white-sand habitats and blackwater streams, whereas females and juveniles were mostly found in leaf litter. Recordings from one male show that the call is a train of 17–20 notes lasting about three seconds, with a dominant frequency near 2.4 kHz and little change in frequency across the call. Additional recordings will be needed to capture the full range of variation. 

Citation: ​Venegas, P.J., L.A. García-Ayachi, S. Bullard, J.D. Valencia, E. Quispe, A. Catenazzi. 2026. Range extension and advertisement call description of Pristimantis condor (Lynch And Duellman, 1980) (Anura: Strabomantidae). Revista Latinoamericana De Herpetología 9: 11-19. doi: https://doi.org/10.22201/fc.25942158e.2026.1.1493

Jon is presenting this week (January 3-7) at the SICB Annual Meeting in Portland, OR. The title of his poster is Elucidating the Role of Shed Skins in the Persistence of Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola in Soil.

On 16 December 2025, Alessandro Catenazzi joined the team of Geo — the acclaimed RAI 3 program dedicated to nature, science and the environment — as a featured guest alongside host Emanuele Biggi. Live on air, Alessandro shared insights from his extensive fieldwork in the Andes and Amazon, bringing viewers into the heart of contemporary scientific expeditions and biodiversity discovery. 
The conversation with Emanuele Biggi — naturalist, photographer and long-time Geo co-host — touched on the challenges and rewards of conducting research in rugged Andean landscapes, where new amphibian and reptile species continue to be documented. Biggi’s deep appreciation for small creatures and their ecological roles provided the perfect backdrop for Alessandro’s stories from the field. 
Alessandro described how herpetologists comb through high-elevation grasslands, cloud forests and remote valleys to catalogue life that has remained hidden from science. These expeditions not only enrich our understanding of biodiversity in some of the world’s most species-rich environments, but also highlight the urgency of conservation in the face of climate change and habitat loss. His anecdotes underscored the intimate connection between exploration and stewardship. 
Amphibians and reptiles — groups at the forefront of many recent discoveries — took center stage in the discussion. Alessandro explained why these vertebrates are both indicators of ecosystem health and subjects of intense taxonomic research. His lab’s work on Neotropical frogs, including the description of new species from the upper Amazon and Andean slopes, illustrates the hidden diversity that still awaits formal recognition. 
Throughout the live broadcast, Alessandro emphasized not just the thrill of discovery, but the broader implications of documenting life in a rapidly changing world. Viewers were reminded that each new species description helps build the scientific foundation needed to protect these unique organisms before they slip into extinction. The recording (in Italian) is available at ​https://www.raiplay.it/programmi/geo/​

A new study by Germán Chávez and Alessandro Catenazzi, published this month in Phyllomedusa, provides the first-ever record of Buenaventura's glassfrog (Nymphargus buenaventura) in Peru. This discovery significantly expands the known geographic distribution of this elusive species by 180 km southward from its previously recorded range in Ecuador.

The team identified a population of these translucent frogs at 1,800 m a.s.l. in the Agua Blanca Village, located in the Cordillera de Huancabamba of northwestern Peru. To confirm the identity of the specimens, the researchers combined morphological observations with molecular analyses of 16S rRNA sequences, which showed only a minimal 1.08% genetic divergence from populations in Ecuador.

Beyond the new locality, the paper offers exciting new insights into the species' natural history. For the first time, researchers recorded and quantitatively described the frog's advertisement call, which is a tonal, high-pitched "chirp" with a dominant frequency between 3.37 and 3.65 kHz. The team observed egg clutches containing 47 to 52 embryos, exceeding the maximum clutch size of 46 previously reported for the species in Ecuador. Males were found calling from leaves approximately 1.2–1.9 m above streams in secondary forest patches.

Despite the range extension, the authors note that very little is still known about the population sizes or trends for this species. Consequently, they recommend placing N. buenaventura in the Data Deficient category of the IUCN Red List until further research can better define its conservation status.

​Citation: Chávez, G. and A. Catenazzi. 2025. Notes on the distribution and advertisement call of Nymphargus buenaventura (Anura: Centrolenidae), with comments on its natural history and conservation. Phyllomedusa 24(2): 271–279.

Honor student Jesus Diaz presented a poster at the OURI Research Forum today! His poster's  title is Discovery and Characterization of Antimicrobial Peptides in the Skin Secretions of Frogs in the Pristimantis Genus. His research investigates the presence of these peptides in the largest genus of vertebrates, terrestrial-breeding frogs of the genus Pristimantis. He is working with skin transcriptomic datasets from P. toftae, as well as skin secretions of that same species and five additionally and closely related species. The event was hosted by the Department of Biological Sciences' Office of Undergraduate Research and Internships. 

​A team of lab collaborators has published valuable new insights into the Oxapampa harlequin frog, Atelopus oxapampae, an endemic and poorly known species classified as Endangered. Herpetological surveys conducted between 2019 and 2022 in the central Andes, specifically in the Pasco and Junín departments, recorded two new localities for the species, significantly expanding its known geographic distribution. The previous known range spanned approximately 26 km airline distance within the cloud forests of the Pasco department. With the inclusion of these new records, the known range of A. oxapampae is expanded approximately 80 km southwest of its type locality. This discovery drastically revises the estimated Extent of Occurrence (EOO) for the species from 236 to 918 sq km.

Citation: ​García-Ayachi, L.A., P.J. Venegas, B. Roca-Rey Ross, E. Almora, W. Aznaran, E. Quispe, A. Catenazzi. 2025. Extensión del rango de distribución, descripción de las hembras y observaciones de la historia natural de Atelopus oxapampae Lehr, Lötters Y Lundberg, 2008 (Anura: Bufonidae). Revista Latinoamericana de Herpetologia 8: 229-233.

​A comprehensive new academic volume, Andean Herpetofauna: Explorations of Diversity, Ecology, and Conservation, has been published, offering the first integrative synthesis of the amphibians and reptiles inhabiting the vast and highly biodiverse Andes Mountains. Spanning over 8,900 kilometers across seven countries, the Andes are a global hotspot for unique and endemic herpetofauna, species found nowhere else on Earth. Co-edited by Dr. Catenazzi alongside colleagues Carla Piantoni, Carlos A. Navas, and Nicolás Urbina-Cardona, this volume brings together multidisciplinary perspectives across 18 chapters, covering topics from natural history and thermal ecology to biogeography and conservation challenges.

The publication places a critical focus on emerging threats, including the devastating impact of infectious diseases like the chytrid fungus and the effects of climate change on species survival in harsh montane conditions. "The Andean region is a spectacular laboratory of evolution, but it is also one of the most threatened ecosystems on the planet," said Dr. Catenazzi. "This book serves not only as a crucial reference for researchers and students but also as an urgent call to action. By integrating the latest findings on diversity, physiology, and distribution, we aim to provide the essential knowledge needed for effective, evidence-based conservation planning to protect these remarkable species before they vanish."

Andean Herpetofauna is an invaluable resource for researchers, conservation scientists, and students interested in the biology and preservation of amphibians and reptiles in montane ecosystems, providing a vital roadmap for future research and conservation efforts in this critical biodiversity hotspot.

Title: Andean Herpetofauna: Explorations of Diversity, Ecology, and Conservation
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG
ISBN: 978-3-032-00074-3
Link: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-032-00074-3

Gustavo has been awarded the ​Doctoral Evidence Acquisition Fellowship for the semester of Spring 2026 by the University Graduate School. He will be conducting field research for his dissertation. Congratulations Gustavo!!