Prince Charles stream tree frog

The Prince Charles stream tree frog (Hyloscirtus princecharlesi) is a species of frogs in the family Hylidae found in Ecuador.[1][2] It is considered an endangered species threatened by habitat loss, climate change, pathogens, and other hazards.[3][1]

Prince Charles stream tree frog
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hylidae
Genus: Hyloscirtus
Species:
H. princecharlesi
Binomial name
Hyloscirtus princecharlesi
Coloma et al., 2012

In June 2012, the species was described as new to science by Luis A. Coloma et al. in the journal Zootaxa and named in honour of Charles III, King of the United Kingdom, recognising the then-Prince's work advocating rainforest conservation.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy

An individual in the species was discovered by Luis Coloma in a museum specimen in 2008. Coloma was later part of an expedition in the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve that found small numbers of the frogs, likely due to deforestation. The Amphibian Ark raised several frogs, hoping to boost the endangered population.[2][5]

Distribution

The frog is endemic to Ecuador, and found only in the northeast, in the Cordillera de Toisán, in Imbabura Province. They're found between 2720 and 2794 meters above sea level, in the tierra fría zone.[1]

Cultural importance

Its name is a patronymic that honors King Charles III, for his rainforest conservation work, such as the 2007 Prince's Rainforests Project,[1][5] and as head of the UK World Wildlife Fund.[6] In all his campaigns, he has used frogs as a symbol of the rainforest, and been affectionately called the "Frog Prince".[1]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hyloscirtus princecharlesi.
  1. "Anfibios de Ecuador: Hyloscirtus pincecharlesi". Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  2. "Nature's big picture: The prince's frog". BBC News. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  3. Coloma, Luis A.; et al. (2012). "Molecular phylogenetics of stream treefrogs of the Hyloscirtus larinopygion group (Anura: Hylidae), and description of two new species from Ecuador". Zootaxa. 3364: 1–78. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3364.1.1.
  4. "The Prince's Rainforests Project". Archived from the original on 9 July 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  5. Phelan, Jessica (5 July 2012). "Arise Hyloscirtus princecharlesi, frog named after Prince Charles". Public Radio International. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  6. Leary, Catie (6 June 2012). "Photos: Prince Charles and the prince frog". Mother Nature Network. Narrative Content Group. Retrieved 14 August 2017.


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