The green-blooded turquoise-boned Samkos bush frog (or Chiromantis samkosensis) is one of four new frog species discovered by Fauna Flora International in Cambodia. Credit FFI
December 2008. A new species of frog, with green blood and turquoise-coloured bones, has been found in Cambodia's remote Cardamom Mountains by international conservation organisation Fauna & Flora International (FFI).
Samkos bush frog - extremely rare
The Samkos bush frog (scientific name Chiromantis samkosensis) is thought to be extremely rare. Its strange coloured bones and blood are caused by the pigment biliverdin, a waste product usually processed in the liver. In this species, the biliverdin is passed back into the blood giving it a green colour; a phenomenon also seen in some lizards. The green biliverdin is visible through the frog's thin, translucent skin, making it even better camouflaged and possibly even causing it to taste unpalatable to predators.
3 more new species
The new frog is just one of four new-to-science frog species discovered by FFI in Cambodia. The Cardamom bush frog (Philautus cardamonus) and Smith's frog (Rana faber) are named after the cardamom plant and in honour of the British herpetologist Malcolm Smith, respectively. The Aural horned frog (Megophrys auralensis) is so named due to the short horn-like protrusions above its eyes. These species have only ever been seen in the peaks of the Cardamom Mountains.
The Aural horned frog or Megophrys auralensis. Credit J Holden - Fauna Flora International
More questions
FFI's Senior Conservation Biologist, Jenny Daltry, was the first scientist to discover
Smith's frog: ‘Finding a new species is always exciting, but really it's just the start of many more questions. What sort of habitat does it need? How does it reproduce? Is it endangered? There is no doubt in my mind that there are new species waiting to be discovered in Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains. FFI will continue to carry out surveys and strive to protect this incredibly rich and diverse area.'
Cardamom Mountains - 40 new amphibian species in 8 years
When FFI began their surveys in the Cardamom Mountains in 2000, the entire national amphibian list stood at only nine species, hardly more than we have in the UK. Since then, FFI surveys have brought to light more than 40 species that had not been recorded in Cambodia before. Cambodia's national list of amphibians now stands at 63 species.
Facts about the Samkos bush frog
• The Samkos bush frog was first seen by FFI in a survey in 2000 but was only formally recorded by scientists as being a new species last year.
• The first individual was found in the foothills of Mount Samkos, Cambodia's second highest mountain, in the remote jungles of the Cardamom Mountains.
• The individual was a male, which makes a distinctive rising trill of notes unlike other species in the genus. Without hearing the call, it would be extremely difficult to find the tiny and well camouflaged frog.
Further encounters:
• Two more individuals were found in 2006 in a small forest pond in Phnom
Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary. Unfortunately, shortly after this discovery the pond was destroyed in a road building scheme. This demonstrates how vulnerable amphibians are to human impacts.
• A dedicated FFI expedition in 2008 to look for more Samkos bush frogs could find only one individual, which was perched on a reed above the road where its breeding pond used to be.
• It appears the species is highly localized, breeding in temporary rain pools in evergreen forest at around 500 metres above sea level. Nothing else is known about its ecology.
New field guide to Cambodia's amphibians
The announcement of the new frog species coincides with the publication of Cambodia's first field guide to amphibians. Its publication is particularly timely, given the serious threats facing amphibians around the world which led to 2008 being named the "Year of the Frog".
The 130 page field guide, published by FFI in October this year and entitled "A Field Guide to the Amphibians of Cambodia", contains stunning photographs of each species and represents the culmination of eight years of field research by FFI in the country. The guide was authored by Jeremy Holden and Cambodian herpetologist Neang Thy, who has worked with FFI since 2004.
An English version of the book "A Field Guide to the Amphibians of Cambodia" is available from FFI for the price of £27 (US$40). It has also been published in Khmer. The cost of publishing the book was covered by a small grant from the DEFRA Flagship Species Fund, and by DEFRA's Darwin initiative and the Zoological Parks and Gardens Board Victoria, Australia.
Remote and unexplored regions
Cambodia is a rare jewel in the crown of biodiversity in Asia. Much of the country's wildlife is only just coming to light, and many species have been discovered here in recent years. The jungles of the Cardamom Mountains, where the new frog species were found, were a stronghold of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge forces from the early 1970s until 1998 and are believed to contain the highest levels of biodiversity in the country.
Educating Cambodian scientists
Alongside their conservation efforts in the field, FFI has been working to help build the technical capacity of Cambodian scientists. The organization started the country's first Masters programme (in Biodiversity Conservation) in 2005, which has so far enrolled over 100 postgraduates, with support from the UK's Darwin Initiative. The Cambodian Journal of Natural History was launched by FFI in September 2008, featuring articles by both Cambodian and international conservation scientists on the country's little known wildlife. FFI also helped to establish Cambodia's first natural history museum and herbarium in 2006. The recently published A Field Guide to the Amphibians of Cambodia is FFI's latest contribution to this ongoing work programme.
More about Flora and Fauna International
Cardamom bush frog (or Philautus cardamonus). Credit J Holden - Fauna Flora International
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