After an unprecedented find In the Cordillera del Cóndor, in Ecuador, a scientific team discovered a new species of glass frog. They named her «Nymphargus dajomesae«, in honor of Neisi Dajomesthe first Ecuadorian to win an Olympic gold medal.
The research was published in Plos Onea prestigious open access scientific journal. The new species belongs to the amphibian family Centrolenidaeknown for her translucent skin, which allows you to see its internal organs with the naked eye.
«This species becomes a symbol of how the science and society can recognize and celebrate women that shape the future,» said Diego Cisneros-Heredia, professor at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito.
What is the new species of «glass frog» that they discovered in Ecuador like?
The discovery took place in the remote Cóndor mountain range, one of the most biodiverse and least explored ecosystems in the country, when they carried out expeditions in the El Quimi Biological Reserve, in the province of Morona Santiago.
The first specimen of this Dajomes glass frog was found a few kilometers from an agricultural area and a large-scale mining operation.
Santiago Ron and Mylena Masache, professor and student at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, respectively, were in charge of describing the characteristics of this species.
«It has uniform green skin with a rough texture on the upper part of the body, while on the lower part, it has a white membrane covered with cells specialized that reflect light and cover your heartesophagus, stomach and kidneys, and the rest of the internal membranes are transparent«, they detailed in the paper.
From comparisons of its DNA with related species, the team of researchers estimated that Nymphargus dajomesae probably originated about 4.5 million years ago during the Pliocene.
Is the newly discovered Dajomes glass frog in danger of extinction?
Researchers do not know if this frog is threatened or in danger of extinction. There are records indicating that mining activity in the area caused a decline in local amphibian populations and could pose a threat to this species in the future.
During the two expeditions they came to the conclusion that more than 85% of the amphibian species observed were until then unknown to science, which suggests a «lost world of amphibian diversity.»
Scientists advocate continuing biodiversity studies and species identification and nature conservation efforts in southeastern Ecuador and across the border in northeastern Peru.
Glass frogs include 12 genera and about 167 species distributed throughout tropical America, which have already been included in morphological and molecular studies.
However, several species remain undescribed or remain mixed with other taxa. This implies that many of these evolutionary lines are represented by poorly identified or unstudied specimens in museum collections.
The most diverse genus within the Centrolenidae is Nymphargus, with 44 species distributed throughout the tropical Andes, from Colombia to Bolivia, generally above 1000 meters of altitude. In Ecuador, 21 species of Nymphargus have been recordedof which 11 are endemic to the country.
The National Institute of Biodiversity (Inabio) congratulated the team for the results of the research, in addition to the perseverance to protect and study the local fauna.
The emotion of the Olympic medalist Neisi Dajomes for the recognition of science
Neisi Patricia Dajomes Barrera, better known as Neisi Dajomes, was born in the Ecuadorian city of Puyo on May 12, 1998. Her family’s life was linked to weightlifting and both she and her younger sister, Angie Palacios, brought the most important medals in the world to their home.
Dajomes’ first approach to weightliftingthat is, Olympic weightlifting, occurred at the age of 11, when he accompanied his brother Javier to training.
The coaches offered Neisi to try a broom, then a 10 kg bar, and they noticed his potential. She was youth world champion three times, then Pan-American champion and at just 18 years old she participated for the first time in the Olympic Games, in Rio 2016, where she placed seventh in the 69 kg category.
In the edition of the Olympic Games of Tokio 2020 became the first woman from her country to win an Olympic gold medalafter managing to lift 263 kilos, having a body weight of 76 kg.
The 27-year-old established herself as one of the best athletes in the history of Ecuador. It was not an easy path for Dajomes, and until that moment very few knew of his sacrifices.
Upon returning to his native country he attended the radio program Returning with Andrés Carriónon radio Armónica de Quito, along with two other weightlifters who competed with her, Tamara Salazar and Angie Palacios.
In the middle of the interview, journalist Andrés Carrión asked him sexist tone questions that generated outrage, and that transmission traveled around the world.
He asked her about «matters of the heart» and also about her performance in household chores. The first question Carrión asked Dajomes was: «How good are you at cooking?»
Puzzled, at first she laughed and answered: «I’m good,» and the journalist asked what kind of food, but the medalist managed to answer uncomfortably «most.»
Then he asked him: «And to wash the dishes?«. Dajolmes, without losing his composure, told her: «Also.» In other sections of the radio report he asked the three guests if they had fallen in love, if they had a boyfriend, and if they went out to clubs.
Among the messages that Carrión received on social networks, some users wrote to him: «With so many things to ask, you underestimate women»; «They should put him to wash dishes in his midst», «Why did you think it was relevant to ask women this?», «I hope he cooks better than he drives.»
Four years after that moment that went viral, Dajolmes won another Olympic medal. He took bronze in the Paris 2024 edition, with 81 kilograms.
Her titles as world, Pan American, South American and Bolivarian champions earned her international recognition. Now, this honor granted by science is added, and through a story on her Instagram account she shared all the academic articles that mention her, with great pride and joy of the merit of her sporting career.
With information from the EFE agency.
