Lost and Found: Elusive Chilean Frog Rediscovered After 130 ...

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After more than a century of obscurity, a frog species thought to be lost to science has been rediscovered in the remote forests of southern Chile. Alsodes vittatus, last seen in 1893 and formally described in 1902, has reappeared after 130 years, marking a major breakthrough for South American herpetology and biodiversity conservation in the southern cone.

The remarkable find was made by a research team from the University of Concepción’s Laboratory of Systematics and Conservation of Herpetozoa (SyCoH), including Dr. Claudio Correa, natural resources engineer Edvin Riveros Riffo, and biologist Juan Pablo Donoso. Their findings were recently published in the journal ZooKeys.

Originally discovered by French entomologist Philibert Germain in the former Hacienda San Ignacio de Pemehue in Chile’s La Araucanía Region, Alsodes vittatus was known only from three specimens delivered to German-Chilean naturalist Rodulfo Amando Philippi. Despite numerous attempts to locate the species, including dedicated searches between 1995 and 2002, it remained hidden for generations.

Efforts to locate the frog were hampered by vague historical records. “The main challenge in locating it was the lack of precision in the description of its type locality,” the researchers explained. Germain had collected the specimens somewhere on the vast San Ignacio de Pemehue estate, but had not specified the exact location.

To solve the mystery, the team delved into Germain’s historical writings and reconstructed the likely route he took through the estate. In 2023 and 2024, Correa and Riveros retraced that path, this time entering the estate from its southeastern edge.

Their perseverance paid off. In the river basins of Lolco and Portales, they found two populations of frogs bearing the distinctive markings of Alsodes vittatus, including its characteristic white or yellow dorsal stripe—features absent in the frogs seen during earlier expeditions in 2015 and 2016.

This rediscovery not only confirms the continued existence of A. vittatus, but also provides the first-ever biological and ecological data for the species. “Field observations indicate that this amphibian faces several significant threats and may qualify as endangered,” the researchers caution.

The find also underscores a broader issue: the lack of scientific knowledge about many amphibian species in southern South America. Most species in the genus Alsodes are either threatened or data-deficient, making discoveries like this critical for future conservation efforts.

“The rediscovery of A. vittatus reminds us of how much we still don’t know about the biodiversity of the southern cone,” the researchers concluded. “It highlights the urgency of studying and protecting these unique and often overlooked species before they vanish for good.”

Posted : 31/03/2025 4:26 pm

Lost and Found: Elusive Chilean Frog Rediscovered After 130 Years

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Lost and Found: Elusive Chilean Frog Rediscovered After 130 Years

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