This brand new species of tree frog is already in trouble

Boophis ankarafensis, a new species of tree frog in Madagascar. (Gonçal

Washington Post Article By Rachel Feltman

Tree frogs are adorable, so let’s have some more: In a study published in open-access journal ZooKeys, researchers describe a new species called Boophis ankarafensis. Unfortunately, it's in danger of losing its habitat.
Green with red speckles, the species looks quite similar to its closest relatives in the habitat – the banks of two streams in the Ankarafa Forest of Madagascar. But in addition to a large genetic divergence (one of more than 4.9 percent, based on analyzed gene fragments) the little frogs have one big distinction: Their call. (READ MORE)

The Vanishing Frogs

It's not a magic act, but all the same, frogs are indeed vanishing from the natural world, and Naturalists are seeking answers as to why. While the conversion of rainforests into farmland has all but wiped out the natural habitat of our own African Dwarf Frogs,  some species are simply vanishing without man's direct encroachment.
That has biologists in a scramble wondering why.  Naturalist Jeff Corwin attributes global climate change along with civilizations demands on the few remaining wild places left on our planet. Check out this video, one of three parts, that search for a rare, almost extinct frog species in Ecuador.

How a Tree Frog is re-defining Biology

By Helen Fields
Smithsonian magazine

Karen Warkentin, wearing tall olive-green rubber boots, stands on the bank of a concrete-lined pond at the edge of the Panamanian rainforest. She pulls on a broad green leaf still attached to a branch and points out a shiny clutch of jellylike eggs. “These guys are hatchable,” she says.
Red-eyed tree frogs, Agalychnis callidryas, lay their eggs on foliage at the edge of ponds; when the tadpoles hatch, they fall into the water. Normally, an egg hatches six to seven days after it is laid. The ones that Warkentin is pointing to, judging from their size and shape, are about five days old, she says. Tiny bodies show through the clear gel-filled membrane. Under a microscope, the red hearts would just be visible. READ MORE

How the Tree Frog Has Redefined Our View of Biology

By Helen Fields
Smithsonian magazine

Karen Warkentin, wearing tall olive-green rubber boots, stands on the bank of a concrete-lined pond at the edge of the Panamanian rainforest. She pulls on a broad green leaf still attached to a branch and points out a shiny clutch of jellylike eggs. “These guys are hatchable,” she says.
Red-eyed tree frogs, Agalychnis callidryas, lay their eggs on foliage at the edge of ponds; when the tadpoles hatch, they fall into the water. Normally, an egg hatches six to seven days after it is laid. The ones that Warkentin is pointing to, judging from their size and shape, are about five days old, she says. Tiny bodies show through the clear gel-filled membrane. Under a microscope, the red hearts would just be visible. READ MORE