New species of frog was discovered in the Boxes

A group of researchers from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Azuay discovered a new species of frog of the type Pristimantis in Chanlud, in an area close to a hydroelectric plant northeast of the Macizo del Cajas located at 45 kilometers from Cuenca.

Blood cutín was baptized by the red color of its skin. Its scientific name is Pristimantis Erythros.  

From the 2013, the Cajas Massif is included in the world list of UNESCO biosphere reserves.

That same year, researchers from the University of Azuay began to organize expeditions in the territory.

Juan Carlos Sánchez, researcher at the Universidad del Azuay, explains that the diversity of Ecuador is not documented, especially in the south of the country.

Researchers classify this frog as critically endangered under the criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), because the habitat of this amphibian has an area of ​​less than one square kilometer.

This means that any event such as a fire, contamination in the area or the opening of a road, can extinguish the species.   

Juan Carlos Sánchez explains that the diversity of the south has a rather peculiar geographical-evolutionary history; there are areas, such as the páramos, that function as islands, and have species that evolved within the specific conditions of each one. It may be that this is the reason why they have found this type of frog only in one area.

At the moment they are analyzing the glands that cause the red color of Blood Cutin.

It is probable that this species is poisonous, this can be confirmed with the results of the physiological tests.

The Pristimantis, generally, they have cryptic colors that allow them to get confused with the environment, however, this frog has a striking color.