Two transparent frog species were recently located in the same Ecuadorian rainforest reserve. Though similar, the two species are genetically distinct enough to be classified as separate.
Hyalinobatrachium mashpi is found on the south side of the Guayllabamba river valley, while the other frog,
hyalinobatrachium nouns lives in the other parts of the same valley about thirteen miles apart. The remarkable photograph of
H. mashpi above shows a female loaded with eggs (white). Northwest Ecuador is home to the Tropical Andes Biome that is richer in amphibian species than the Amazon, which is rather flat in comparison. The terrain barriers of the Andean landscape provide isolation in which species differentiate, a process referred to as endemism. [photo credits: J. Culebras]
