Forest creature with red eyes and bumpy belly found in Brazil. It’s a new species
In a forest of eastern Brazil, a small creature with red eyes and a bumpy belly called out for a mate. Instead, its call attracted the attention of passing scientists.
It turned out to be a new species.
Researchers hiked into a nature reserve in Bahia state in 2022 to survey wildlife, according to a study published Oct. 8 in the peer-reviewed journal Ichthyology and Herpetology. During the visit, they encountered several unfamiliar-looking frogs in a muddy pond.
Taking a closer look at the frogs, researchers quickly realized they’d discovered a new species: Scinax ritaleeae, or Rita Lee’s snouted treefrog.
Rita Lee’s snouted treefrogs can reach just over 1 inch in length, the study said. They have “robust” bodies with “protruding” snouts, “fringed” toes and bumpy bellies. Their prominent eyes have a “red” or “reddish-orange” blotch.
A photo shows the brown speckled coloring of the new species. A mixture of light brown, dark brown and black blotches dot its body.
Rita Lee’s snouted treefrogs were found “calling in a temporary pond inside the forest,” the study said. Some frogs sat on plants while others hid “inside piles of fallen twigs.” One frog made an “aggressive call,” consisting of pulsating sounds.
Researchers said they named the new species after Rita Lee Jones de Carvalho, “the Queen of Brazilian rock music.” She is “famous for her musical compositions and for her red-dyed hair,” a feature reminiscent of the “reddish blotches in the iris of the new species.”
So far, Rita Lee’s snouted treefrogs have only been found at a nature reserve in Bahia state, a roughly 700-mile drive northeast of Rio de Janeiro, the study said.
The new species was identified by its DNA, call, size, snout, toes, coloring, eyes and other subtle physical features, the study said.
The research team included Pedro Marinho, Julián Faivovich, Célio Haddad and Katyuscia Araujo-Vieira.
This story was originally published October 10, 2024 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Forest creature with red eyes and bumpy belly found in Brazil. It’s a new species."
