Meet Rhinella manu, a pretty special frog. This toad is named after the park in which it is endemic to, Manu. Manu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is larger than the great state of Connecticut by more than 1,000sq miles. It encompasses lowland Amazonian forest, high Andean peaks and everything in between. This wide variety of habitats contains an even larger variety of animals. In fact, Manu has 155 known species of amphibian and 132 species of reptiles, making it the most herpetofaunally diverse protected area in the world. (For more about Manu's incredible herpetofaunal diversity check out Alessandro's paper cited below) However, being named after an awesome park isn't the only cool thing about this toad. This small toad is arboreal and, quite unusually for a member of the family Bufonidae, appears to be direct developing. No tadpoles or eggs of this species have ever been found; and given the morphology of studied specimens, it appears that the eggs of this species may develop into small froglets within the egg (like members of the Strabomantidae). If correct, this would make Rhinella manu truly unique.
So not only is this frog named after and found in a herpetologist's paradise, but it's fascinating biology makes it one of the coolest species we've found so far!
Cheers!
~Alex
CATENAZZI, A., LEHR, E. & VON MAY, R. The amphibians and reptiles of Manu National Park and its buffer zone, Amazon basin and eastern slopes of the Andes, Peru. Biota Neotrop. 13(4): http://www. biotaneotropica.org.br/v13n4/en/abstract?inventory+bn02813042013
So not only is this frog named after and found in a herpetologist's paradise, but it's fascinating biology makes it one of the coolest species we've found so far!
Cheers!
~Alex
CATENAZZI, A., LEHR, E. & VON MAY, R. The amphibians and reptiles of Manu National Park and its buffer zone, Amazon basin and eastern slopes of the Andes, Peru. Biota Neotrop. 13(4): http://www. biotaneotropica.org.br/v13n4/en/abstract?inventory+bn02813042013
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