New Poison Frog Species Evolving Before Our Eyes, Study Says
A poison dart frog from Peru that mimics its neighbors in incredible detail is evolving into a new species, scientists believe.
The mimic frog (Ranitomeya imitator) is the first vertebrate, and only the second known animal, to suggest that mimicry can split populations into separate species, according to a study published recently in Nature Communications. The other animal is a group of Heliconius butterflies, which are also found in South America.
We can’t hold the frog in our hands just yet, though—the new species may not finish evolving for several thousand more years.
Separate geographic populations of R. imitator can look wildly different, depending on the frog species they’re mimicking. In north-central Peru, two R. imitator populations colorfully masquerade as two contrasting poison frog species: The splash-back poison frog (R. variabilis) or red-headed poison frog (R. fantastica). (See more pictures of poison dart frogs.)
In a phenomenon known as Müllerian mimicry, which occurs when two or more poisonous or unpalatable species adopt the same colorful warning signal to predators, one of the R. imitator morphs—called “striped”—takes on the black-and-yellow stripes and marbled aqua legs of R. variables.
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http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/10/02/new-species-evolution-poison-frogs-peru-animals-science/
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