Near the flag at the top of Pico da Neblina that marks it as the highest point in Brazil, at an altitude of almost 3,000 meters, scientists turned over a rock and found a small brown frog, about 2 centimeters (cm) long. They had no idea how to classify it. About a thousand meters farther down the mountainside, they found another unknown amphibian hiding in the grass. Genetic sequencing revealed the reason they were unable to identify the animals: both belonged to new families. Each of these families contains only the newly discovered species (for now), which were named Neblinaphryne mayeri and Caligophryne doylei. The former is in tribute to General Sinclair James Mayer, responsible for liaising between university researchers and the Army. “Without him, our expeditions to Pico da Neblina in 2017 and to Serra do Imeri in 2022 would never have happened,” says zoologist Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues, from the University of São Paulo. The latter is a reference to the book The Lost World by Scottish writer Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1830). The newly described families may be the vestiges of a nearly extinct fauna, with the researchers describing the mountainous region of the Amazon as both a cradle where new species emerge and a museum that holds testimonies of the past (Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, November 22).
Renato Recoder / USP | Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues / USP (C. doylei)
Neblinaphryne mayeri (left) and Caligophryne doylei (right): unique members of new amphibian familiesRenato Recoder / USP | Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues / USP (C. doylei)