‘Large’-eyed creature with ‘long’ limbs found on Costa Rica peak. It’s a new species
In a mountain valley of Central America, a “smooth” creature used its “long” limbs to cling to a tree trunk. Its “large” eyes scanned the dark rainforest, but it wasn’t the only one looking around.
Nearby scientists spotted the lurking animal — and discovered a new species.
Researchers ventured into the peaks of Costa Rica several times between 2008 and 2018 with a very specific goal: find some Bolitoglossa salamanders, according to a study published Nov. 8 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. These amphibians are “particularly rare” and “notably challenging to detect in the field.”
During the searches, the team found two yellow-brown salamanders on tree trunks, the study said. Researchers took a closer look at the animals and realized they’d discovered a new species: Bolitoglossa silentium, or the Valle del Silencio web-footed salamander.
Valle del Silencio web-footed salamanders are “slender,” reaching just over 2 inches in length, the study said. They have “long and slender” limbs with “large and broad” hands, “smooth” skin and “numerous” teeth. Their “moderate to large” eyes are “bronze” with some “dark brownish-black” markings.
A photo shows the “dark mustard yellow” and brown blotchy coloring of the new species. Some plant debris appears stuck to its back and tail.
Valle del Silencio web-footed salamanders live in mountain rainforests between elevations of about 7,500 and 8,000 feet, the study said. They “were found on the trunks of trees (and) active during the night.”
Bolitoglossa salamanders are also known as “‘mushroom-tongued’ or ‘tropical lungless’ salamanders” and have “a very long and rapidly projected tongue,” according to a 2023 study.
”All Bolitoglossa salamanders are lungless and breathe through their skin,” co-author Erick Arias told McClatchy News via email. The new species is “no exception.”
The new species is still poorly understood, and researchers suggested follow-up research to better understand its lifestyle and behavior.
Researchers said they named the new species “silentium,” Latin for “silence,” after Valle del Silencio, or “Silent Valley,” where it was first discovered and, so far, the only area where it has been found. The valley is within a protected park in Limón province and near the border with Panama.
The new species was identified by its body shape, foot and hand webbing, coloring and DNA, the study said.
The research team included Erick Arias, Gerardo Chaves, Brian Kubicki and Gabriela Parra-Olea. The team also discovered a second new species: the Costa Rican miniaturized salamander.
This story was originally published November 11, 2024 at 12:55 PM with the headline "‘Large’-eyed creature with ‘long’ limbs found on Costa Rica peak. It’s a new species."
