In reference to the otherworldly sounds by which these treefrogs of the genus Boophis fill Malagasy rainforests, some of them reminiscent of sounds of technical equipment in the fictional ‘Star Trek’ universe, scientists have named the seven new species in honor of fictional captains of starships, namely Boophis kirki, Boophis picardi, Boophis siskoi, Boophis janewayae, Boophis archeri, Boophis pikei, and Boophis burnhamae.
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Boophis picardi, a male paratype from An’Ala, Madagascar. Image credit: Vences et al., doi: 10.3897/vz.74.e121110.
With 80 currently described species, Boophis is the most speciose genus in the Malagasy-Comoran-endemic family Mantellidae.
Members of the genus are treefrogs of relatively generalized reproductive behavior, typically laying their eggs into the water of streams or ponds where their tadpoles develop.
Many Boophis species are very vocal, their males emit loud and distinct advertisement calls.
“The seven newly discovered species from the tree frog genus Boophis, found across the rainforests of Madagascar, emit special bird-like whistling sounds in their communication with other frogs,” said Professor Miguel Vences of the Technische Universität Braunschweig and his colleagues.
“These whistling sounds reminded our team of Star Trek, where similar whistle-like sound effects are frequently used.”
“That’s why we named the frogs after Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Burnham, and Pike — seven of the most iconic captains from the sci-fi series.”
“Not only do these frogs sound like sound-effects from Star Trek, but it seems also fitting that to find them, you often have to do quite a bit of trekking,” said Dr. Mark Scherz, a resercher with the Natural History Museum of Denmark at the University of Copenhagen.
“A few species are found in places accessible to tourists, but to find several of these species, we had to undertake major expeditions to remote forest fragments and mountain peaks.”
“There’s a real sense of scientific discovery and exploration here, which we think is in the spirit of Star Trek.”
For fans of Star Trek, Boophis calls might remind them of sounds from the so-called ‘boatswain whistle’ and a device called the ‘tricorder.’ To others, they might sound like a bird or an insect.
“If the frogs just croaked like our familiar European frogs, they might not be audible over the sound of rushing water from the rivers they live near,” said Dr. Jörn Köhler, senior curator of vertebrate zoology at the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt.
“Their high-pitched trills and whistles stand out against all that noise.”
“The appearance of the frogs has led to them being confused with similar species until now, but each species makes a distinctive series of these high-pitched whistles, that has allowed us to tell them apart from each other, and from other frogs.”
The discovery is reported in a paper in the journal Vertebrate Zoology.
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M. Vences et al. 2024. Communicator whistles: A Trek through the taxonomy of the Boophis marojezensis complex reveals seven new, morphologically cryptic treefrogs from Madagascar (Amphibia: Anura: Mantellidae). Vertebrate Zoology 74: 643-681; doi: 10.3897/vz.74.e121110
