Researchers in Peru recently rediscovered a frog species that hadn't been seen for over a century, the Miami Herald reported.
Not only had the Noblella peruviana, or Peru Andes frog, not been seen since 1899 or 1900, its sighting at that time was the first and only evidence of the species recorded by scientists.
British collector H.H. Keays discovered (and named) the Noblella peruviana during a trip at the turn of the 20th century. In classic British fashion, he immediately packed the frog up and shipped it to the British Museum, ensuring that the only known example of the species in the world was both under the care of the British Empire and also dead.
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More recently, a group of researchers decided to take a trip into the Andes to see if they could replicate Keays' luck. During two expeditions in 2016 and 2017, they were able to locate eight Peru Andes frogs. They also found several N. bagrecito frogs, another similar species that had also been considered lost (though for much less than a century).
"We rediscovered N. peruviana 116-117 years after it was last collected and N. bagrecito 42 years after it was last collected, exemplifying the necessity of fieldwork when searching for 'lost' and missing species," the researchers said.
There is still very little known about Peru Andes frogs. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species attempted to assess the species in 2017 but ended up listing it as "data deficient."
Now that they have DNA samples, researchers are hoping to learn more about these elusive frogs, including which other frog species they may be most closely related to. All this information could go toward helping to ensure their protection as well as the protection of the environment in which they live.
Like many other ecosystems throughout the world, the Andes Mountains are highly susceptible to the effects of changing weather patterns and extreme weather events caused by the overheating of our planet. It is not clear how these events affect the frog populations, but it's probably not good.
In other long-lost-frog news, a frog species that was listed as "possibly extinct" was recently rediscovered in Ecuador. That find was hailed as a big win for specific conservation efforts and led one biologist to tell National Geographic, "This discovery fills us with hope."
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