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Black-bellied frog - an extinct and "living fossil" frog is making a comeback in Israel

A study published in the journal Nature by German and French Israeli researchers indicates that the relative of the Israeli frog has been considered extinct for 15 thousand years

Belly black round lip. Photo: Prof. Sharig Gafni, Rupin Academic Center
Round black belly. Photo: Prof. Sharig Gafni, Rupin Academic Center

The black-tongued round-tongue, the first amphibian that was officially declared extinct after not being seen for about 60 years by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and rediscovered in the north of Israel about two years ago, was declared a unique "living fossil" that has no direct relatives among creatures life today

As I recall, the round tongue was rediscovered in November 2011 by Yoram Malka, an inspector of the Hula reserve, during a routine patrol. The black-bellied round-tongue was initially cataloged in the genus Discoglossus when it was discovered in the Hula Valley in the 20s. The frog was declared an extinct species with the drying up of the Hula reserve in the late fifties and in 1996 it was officially declared extinct by the IUCN. As a result, the chances of finding out more about the history, biology and ecology of the species were considered low.

However, researchers from Israel, Germany and France report in the journal Nature about an in-depth scientific analysis of this enigmatic amphibian species. The research was led by Professor Sharig Gafni from the Rupin Academic Center and Professor Eli Gafni from Tel Aviv University. The two were assisted by researchers from Germany and the Weizmann Institute, as well as Rebecca Beaton and Dr. Rebecca Rabinovitz from the Hebrew University and people from the Nature and Parks Authority.

Based on a genetic analysis of individuals that were rediscovered as mentioned above and a morphological analysis of fossilized frog bones, the conclusion was that the round-tongue is distinctly different from living species close to it - the painted frogs from North and West Africa. Instead, the round-tongue is closer to a type of fossilized frog - Latonia, whose fossils have been discovered all over Europe, and they date back to the prehistoric period and were thought to have been extinct for a million years.

The results of the study show that the frog drawn from the patient is no longer a rare species of frog, but in fact the only representative of an ancient branch of frogs (clade - a group of descendants of a common ancestor).

According to the researchers, the Israeli species of the round-tongued was created 40-50 million years ago, and the European species only 25 million years ago. Latonia was the 'youngest' fossil of the species and it is considered a species that became extinct 15 thousand years ago and it turns out that one branch of it lives to this very day in Lake Hula.

Plans to re-flood part of Hula Lake and restore the marsh environment are underway, and this may expand the size of the round-tongue population and secure its future.

to the notice of the researchers

7 תגובות

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