While working in the Manú Biosphere Reserve, part of the Peruvian Amazon, herpetologist Shirley Jennifer Serrano Rojas heard an unfamiliar croak of a frog. This experience sparked a new quest for Serrano Rojas as she sought out the amphibian that made the noise.

Nearly four years later, the black poison frog with two orange stripes down its body was confirmed to be a new species—Ameerega shihuemoy. Announced last month in the journal Zootaxa, the new species was established following rigorous and genetic analysis.

The habitat of this frog, and other amphibians like it, is threatened by many environmental and human factors, prompting the Peruvian government to act in protection of the country’s biodiversity. While the Manú Biosphere Reserve is protected from commercial activities, some bordering areas are not. Scientists like Serrano Rojas are advocating for the continued protection of these areas and the yet-to-be-discovered species within them.

Learn more about the discovery of this new species here!