Newly found Lao salamanders under threat

Laos provides an abundant habitat for wildlife species. Often new species are found, but they become endangered relatively quickly because people have inadequate information on how to protect them from exploitation.

Laos , the least densely populated country in Asia , has produced several wildlife discoveries in recent years, including the rock rat, found last year in Khammuan province.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) notes that nine amphibians have been discovered in Laos by scientists Mr Bryan ... more

Stuart of Chicago 's Field Museum and his collaborators since 2002, but these are threatened by habitat destruction and the illegal wildlife trade.

Six new species of frogs have been discovered in Laos over a recent two-year period, according to the Bronx Zoo-based WCS.

Three newly discovered frog species are described in the recent issue of Copeia, the journal of the American Society of Herpetologists and Ichthyologists. WCS says little is known about the new frogs, other than where they were found and how they compare to similar species.

“Now that these species have been documented we can go back and start to learn something about their biology,” said Mr Stuart. Scientists from the American Museum of Natural History and the Russian Academy of Sciences were also involved in the new study.

Biologists are regularly finding new species of amphibians in Laos , as once-isolated and scientifically unexplored areas are investigated.

“ Laos often finds new species because we don't have a large population, we don't use many chemicals in agriculture and the important aspect is we don't have a lot heavy industry. Moreover, some areas are untouched and green, proving an essential home to sustain biodiversity and wildlife species,” said Dr Niane Sivongxay, the Head of the Zoology unit in the Faculty of Biology at the National University of Laos (NUOL).

“But as fast as we describe new species we also identify new threats,” she said.

“Traditional hunting is an important threat but often it is not the greatest. New industries, logging, agriculture, dams and forests if not planned properly can be a greater threat. Climate change is killing salamanders – the dramatic global decline of amphibians may be directly connected to global warming and natural disasters,” she said.

She is concerned that hunting is decreasing the numbers of salamanders. They may become extinct due to over-hunting. Salamanders are now an endangered species. Villagers sell them to foreign visitors for only 5,000 kip but foreigners sell them on in their own countries for as much as two million kip (US$200), said Dr Niane.

“Some villagers hunt them for medicine, as they believe these strange animals can heal rheumatism and relieve physical pain. But we think they could be poisonous because they smell bad and are sticky when we touch them,” she explained.

“However, we're trying to determine whether they are poisonous or good medicine. NUOL and the WCS are working closely together in effort to gather information, identify the biodiversity of this new species and prevent it from exploitation,” she said.

A good example is a new species of salamander discovered and documented last year by Mr Stuart. This salamander, known by local villagers as Phatin, is gaining attention from foreign scientists, drawn to Lao zoological hotspots. NUOL teachers are now focusing on the species, and are assigning it to students to conduct further research.

A rare and unusual animal, the new species of salamander, called Paramesotriton Laoensis by the scientists, has already been found for sale in foreign countries as pets.

Dr Niane took time out to mark Wildlife Conservation Day by explaining the details of the salamander family. A salamander, she said, is group of animals which have legs and a tail like a lizard, but skin like a frog. Like frogs in the tadpole stage, they breathe through gills.

Dr Niane and a team from WCS have gone to several parts of the country in search of salamanders. She explained that the amphibian mainly resides near water and in mountain areas 10,000 feet above the sea level in temperatures ranging from 18 to 23 Celsius. Because it is a new species, information temperature and habitat and information may not be entirely accurate.

According to Dr Niane, many salamanders have been found in Xieng Khuang province. They have also been discovered in Xayaboury and Khammuan provinces.

“The new species of salamander is in fact a tadpole gone wrong,” said Australian environmentalist Mr Ian Tait. “Evolution finds many ways to produce new species. In the case of the salamander we have an amphibian that got stuck in the tadpole stage. Instead of losing its tail when it started to grow leg s and turn into a frog it kept the tail and stayed in or near water.”

Source: Vientianetimes