Many conservation efforts are concentrated on the iconic threatened species: tigers, pandas and polar bears. Their familiar, fluffy faces draw our eyes, melt our hearts and open our purse strings.
However, sometimes a happy accident can lead to a rediscovery of a forgotten species. But, what then? How can we put a neglected frog on the global conservation agenda?
The Allipacca Water Frog was discovered in mossy streams high in the hills of south-west Peru. It was a new species from the Telmatobius genus with wide grey eyes, a mottled back and golden spots. Four specimens were collected and preserved for the species’ description, and then left to collect dust on a museum shelf for more than sixty years.
As with many uncharismatic species discoveries, it was not just the preserved specimens who were forgotten. The fate of the wild populations of this wide-eyed frog also slipped from scientific notice, and so when the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (a comprehensive global list of species’ conservation status) was founded in 1965, it was labelled merely ‘Data Deficient’.
Found in ‘frog juice’
In fact, the populations of Allipacca Water Frog were falling, and no one was paying attention. As agriculture and livestock farms crept further into the hills, their clean rivers ran cloudy with chemical and organic waste. The deadly amphibian disease chytridiomycosis crept into the population, and many were caught to make ‘frog juice’- a concoction as disgusting as it sounds, sold for alleged medicinal properties.
However, it was a seller of frog juice who accidentally brought the plight of the Allipacca Water Frog back to conservation attention. Researchers visiting the Sondondo Valley in Peru to survey the world’s largest flying bird, the Andean Condor, stopped in a town market and met a juice seller who showed them the frogs he used.
“We realized that the frogs were individuals of Telmatobius, unlike other species we were familiar with,” said Victor Jassmani Vargas. “The seller gave us tips concerning the likely source of these frogs, namely the small creeks of Allipacca near Puquio where children captured the frogs used for his market stand.
“Armed with this information, we hiked to Allipacca and explored a couple of creeks, and quickly discovered tadpoles and frogs of the same Telmatobius species we had seen at the market stand. After comparing these specimens with a description in the literature, and the type specimens preserved at the natural history museum in Lima, we were able to identify this species as the Allipacca Water Frog (Telmatobius intermedius).”
The mottled back of the Allipacca Water Frog has dark spots and patches of gold that vary amongst individuals. Image © Victor Vargas
The Endangered spotlight
Knowing that Telmatobius species are particularly vulnerable to chytridiomycosis, and that their disappearance was probably due to a very small range, Victor and his team were concerned about the frog’s future. But as very little was known about the species, it was impossible to direct meaningful conservation efforts.
This is where Synchronicity Earth’s partner, the Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA), stepped in. They funded Victor’s team to return to the area and begin a thorough study into the status of the Allipacca Water Frog: identifying the main threats, mappi