A frog species thought to have vanished for over 130 years has been rediscovered in Chile, marking a momentous breakthrough for conservationists.
First described in 1902 (based on specimens collected in 1893), the elusive Alsodes vittatus had evaded all attempts to re-find it – until now.
During a recent expedition, researchers found two populations of the frog species living at the southeastern edge of Hacienda San Ignacio de Pemehue, a mountainous area in Chile’s La Araucanía Region.
The remarkable discovery is a crucial milestone for amphibian conservation in South America, say the scientists, who published their findings in the journal ZooKeys.
Alsodes vittatus: a quest to find the frog
Alsodes vittatus was first documented in 1902 by German naturalist Rodulfo Amando Philippi, based on specimens collected in 1893 by French entomologist Philibert Germain.
Despite repeated expeditions to its supposed range, the frog had remained undetected for more than a century, leading many to fear it had been lost forever.
Between 1995 and 2002, numerous researchers scoured the Pemehue area in search of the frog, but their efforts came to nothing.
Then, in 2015 and 2016, scientists Claudio Correa and Juan Pablo Donoso identified two populations of Alsodes frogs in the same region. However, the individuals they found lacked the species’ characteristic white or yellow dorsal stripe, casting doubt on whether they had truly rediscovered the lost frog.
The biggest challenge was pinpointing exactly where the original specimens had been found, as the location was described with little precision, explain the researchers. “In Germain's time, the Hacienda San Ignacio de Pemehue was an estate of enormous size, and the naturalist did not specify the exact place where he collected the specimens.”
Undeterred, Correa and his team meticulously pieced together Germain’s likely route by analysing historical records and publications. In 2023 and 2024, they retraced his footsteps, entering the former estate from the southeastern side.
Their perseverance paid off: in the Lolco and Portales river basins, they encountered two thriving populations of Alsodes vittatus, confirming the species’ long-awaited reappearance.
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Why is the discovery important?
The rediscovery of this enigmatic frog is a significant victory for South American herpetology. Many Alsodes species are either critically endangered or so poorly studied that their conservation status remains unknown. Learning more about their habitats and behaviours is the first step towards protecting them.
“The rediscovery of A. vittatus allowed us to obtain, more than a century after its description, the first biological and ecological data on the species,” say the researchers.
“Field observations also indicate that this amphibian faces several significant threats and that it could be considered endangered.
“In a broader context, this rediscovery demonstrates the limited biological, evolutionary and biogeographic knowledge of the amphibians that inhabit the southern cone of South America, emphasising the urgency of their study and conservation.”
Find out more about the study: Lost for more than a century: the rediscovery of Alsodes vittatus (Philippi, 1902) (Anura, Alsodidae), one of the rarest and most elusive amphibians from Chile
Main image: the habitat of Alsodes vittatus in Chile/Edvin Riveros
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