Kvaksha Tolkien

Juan C. Sánchez-Nivicela from the University of St. Francis in Kio together with colleagues from Ecuador, Colombia and Spain described a new appearance of the Kwakshi and gave him the name in honor of the British writer John Ronald Ruela Tolkien, the author of the books “Hobbit”. Explaining the choice of the name, biologists write: "Amazing colors of the new species cause associations with magnificent creatures that seem to exist only in fantastic worlds."

Photo: Juan C. Sánchez-Nivicela

Kvaksha Hyloscirtus Tolkieni was found in high-mountain forests in the National Park of the Rio Negro-Poster in Ecuador. It belongs to the genus, whose representatives are found exclusively in Central and South America. A new species relatively large compared to the closest relatives, the body length of the adult female is 6.49 mm. The color of this kwakshi is really impressive : the back is grayish-green with a lighter net, yellow spots and black specks; throat, abdomen, sides and hidden surfaces of the limbs-golden yellow with large black specks; fingers and membranes between them - yellow with black stripes and specks; The rainbow shell of the eyes is pale pink with a black periphery.

The description of the new type is published in the journal Zookeys.