‘Gene Simmons’ bat, new frog species discovered

Gene Simmons is still alive and well (somehow), but his spirit is found elsewhere in the animal kingdom. Bolivian scientists on the expedition known as Identidad Madidi have discovered the bat with the longest tongue in Madidi National Park—one of the most diverse areas on Earth—along with a new species of frog.

The bat is known appealingly as the tube-lipped nectar bat (Anoura fistulata), and has been described before—but only in three records about 10 years ago, and never outside of Ecuador. Moreover, its roughly 3.3 inch tongue isn’t just have the longest of any bat—it has the longest tongue in relation to its size of any known mammal.

The frog, meanwhile, is a new species of big-headed or robber frog (Oreobates sp. nov.). James Aparicio, one member of the expedition, describes it in a press release: “Robber frogs are small to medium-sized frogs distributed in the Andes and Amazon region and to date there are 23 known species. As soon as we saw these frogs’ distinctive orange inner thighs, it aroused our suspicions about a possible new species, especially because this habitat has never really been studied in detail before Identidad Madidi.”

Confirmation was needed

Despite their initial gut feeling, the team had to do some research for confirmation. “We have spent the last two months ruling out known species at the Bolivian Faunal Collection and also from published accounts, especially recently described species from southern Peru, but we are now confident that this will indeed be confirmed as a new species for science once genetic analyses are completed,” explained Mauricio Ocampo, another expedition member.

These discoveries are good news for the park. “The description of a new species of robber frog (Oreobates) for science is important news for the country as it confirms the extraordinary biodiversity of Madidi National Park and demonstrates the importance of scientific research in protected areas,” said Teresa Chávez, Director of the Bolivian Biodiversity and Protected Areas Directorate.

However, this bat and frog are not the only discoveries of the expedition; previously, three catfish, a lizard, and another frog have been added to the list of candidate new species. The expedition is still ongoing, with the most recent leg beginning on August 20th.

“This is just the beginning,” said Dr. Robert Wallace of the Wildlife Conservation Society. “We are incredibly proud of the team’s efforts across the first two study sites and while we are expecting more new species for science, as important is the astounding number of additional species confirmed for Madidi further establishing it as the world´s most biologically diverse park.”

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Image credit:  Mileniusz Spanowicz/WCS