It was named Rhacophorus helenae, in honor of the mother of the biologist who discovered it, Jodi Rowley of the Australian Museum in Sydney. It is the new species of flying tree frog found in Vietnam, 10 cm long, bright green with a white abdomen and equipped with broad webbed legs that function like a parachute. They are the ones who allow her to "fly", or, better, to glide from one tree to another
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
She was called Rhacophorus helenae, in honor of the mother of the biologist who discovered it, Jodi Rowley of the Australian in Sydney. It's the new species of flying tree frog found in Vietnam, 10 cm long, bright green with white abdomen and equipped with broad webbed legs that function like a parachute. It is they who allow it to "fly", or, better, to gliding from tree to tree.
What makes the find even more incredible is that, contrary to what normally happens, the Rhacophorus helenae has been identified less than 100 km from one of the largest cities from Southeast Asia, Ho Chi Minh, formerly Saigon, with over 9 million inhabitants.
“To discover a previously unknown species of frog, I usually have to climb rugged mountains, climb waterfalls and make my way through the dense and prickly vegetation of the rainforest,” the biologist explains in a note. I certainly did not expect to find a new species of frog crouching on a fallen tree in a lowland forest crisscrossed by a network of paths beaten by people and buffaloes and completely surrounded by a sea of rice fields ”.
But it is no coincidence that these frogs had not yet been identified: it was their arboreal nature, probably, that kept them out of the sight of biologists for so long. Rowley said she chose to call them Helen in honor of her mother, Helen Rowley, who steadfastly supported her only daughter on her trek through the forests of Southeast Asia in search of frogs.
“My mother - concludes the biologist - was recently diagnosed with a ovarian cancer and I thought it was time for me to show her my appreciation for everything she has done for me and everything she has loaded onto herself over the years. "
Roberta Ragni
