Glass frogs reappear in Bolivia after 18 years

A rare species of frog native to the eastern slopes of the Bolivian Andes has been spotted in the South American country for the first time in 18 years, the investigation team that made the discovery told AFP.

The Bolivian Cochran frog is notable for its transparent belly, leading to its nickname, the "glass frog".

"The rediscovery of this species fills us with a ray of hope for the future of the glass frogs—one of the most charismatic amphibians in the world—but also for other species," said investigation team members Rodrigo Aguayo and Oliver Quinteros, from the Natural History Museum "Alcide d'Orbigny", and Rene Carpio of the San Simon University in Cochabamba.

The team came across the frogs on January 8 during a mission to rescue reptiles and amphibians threatened by a hydroelectric project in the Carrasco National Park to the east of Cochabamba, the fourth largest city in Bolivia.

Glass frogs are tiny, measuring only 0.7-0.9 inches (19-24 millimeters) and weighing just 2.5-2.8 ounces (70-80 grams). They can be found in the departments of La Paz (west), Cochabamba, Santa Cruz (east) and Chuquisaca (southeast).

Some frogs' hearts and digestive tracts can be seen through their transparent bellies.

The Red-spotted Glass Frog (Nymphargus grandisonae) also known as giant glass frog, is a species of frog in the Centrolenidae family found in Andes of Colombia and Ecuador.

Cochran Frog - Nymphargus cochranae 

The Cochran Frog, Nymphargus cochranae (Centrolenidae), is a species of glass frog distributed in the lower Amazonian slopes of the Cordillera Occidental from southern to northern Ecuador and in adjacent Colombia.

Nymphargus cochranae can be distinguished from other species of glass frogs by having the back green with small black or dark blue eyespots surrounding orange dots, a relatively large size (adult males measure 24.0-26.2 mm, and adult females 27.8-30.3 mm), hands without membranes, and not have humeral spines.

The Cochran Frog is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because its distribution is severely fragmented,

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