Rare blue frog from the Amazon becomes an object of desire and is on the international trafficking route

Rare blue frog from the Amazon becomes an object of desire and is on the international trafficking route. Small, poisonous and with a blue color that attracts attention in the middle of the forest. A population of the arrowhead frog Adelphobates galactonotus, a species found only in Brazil, ended up arousing the interest not only of science, but also of collectors of exotic animals abroad. ? Also follow Terra da Gente on Instagram The amphibian presents an impressive variety of colors. Depending on the population, it can have a yellow, orange, red, blue, brown back and even other shades and patterns. Among them is a blue morphotype found in the Brazilian Amazon. The unusual coloring has made these animals especially desirable in the international exotic pet market. The interest was so great that specimens illegally removed from the wild in Brazil crossed the Atlantic, passed through Europe and reached the United States. The story was only interrupted by a seizure at Miami International Airport. Amazonian Arrowhead Frog (Adelphobates galactonotus) blue in color lucasmrabelo / iNaturalist See more news from Terra da Gente, on g1: FLAGRANT: Video shows bem-te-vi eating a whole gecko in Magé, RJ FILM: Documentary recorded on the coast of PR reveals 'silent invasion' and risks to biodiversity RARE: New ocean floor appears after earthquakes; researchers monitor in real time Brazilian frogs on an international route At the end of 2017, a commercial import of live Adelphobates galactonotus arrived from Europe at Miami International Airport, in the United States. When inspecting the cargo and the documentation presented, agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the body responsible for protecting wildlife in the United States, found 22 blue frogs, as well as red and orange specimens. The presence of those animals raised suspicions. According to the USFWS, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) normally authorized the export of the species only to scientific institutions. The North American agency also states that the specimens exported for scientific purposes were not alive and that Brazil had never authorized the export of the rare blue morphotype. The documentation presented, therefore, did not explain how those animals had legally arrived in Europe. "It is essential to break the myth of legalized trade in these cases. Many collectors acquire these frogs in Europe or the USA believing that they are animals born in captivity. However, as Brazil has never authorized the export of the blue morphotype, any existing lineage abroad has, in principle, its origins in biopiracy and criminal extraction from our nature", explains biologist Romulo Rodrigues. Coloration of the species is very varied laparte / iNaturalist The North American agents contacted Ibama. The joint investigation concluded that the frogs had been illegally captured from the wild in Brazil, trafficked to Europe and later sent to the United States with false documentation, according to an official report published by the USFWS. The animals were seized based on CITES — an international convention that regulates trade in fauna and flora species — and North American legislation. Ibama itself later registered the operation. In the 2022 Management Report, the institute informs that it carried out different actions to combat environmental crimes in partnership with the United States government and mentions, among them, the “seizure of 30 specimens of Adelphobates galactonotus”. The report does not detail in that section the date, the colors of the animals or whether the 30 specimens correspond exactly to the same shipment intercepted in Miami. Therefore, the numbers should not be added together as different seizures. From scientific interest to the exotic animal market The story of the blue frog had begun years before. In 2012, researchers Marinus Hoogmoed and Teresa Ávila-Pires, from the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, published a detailed survey of the extraordinary color variation of A. galactonotus. The study, published in the scientific journal Phyllomedusa, analyzed the distribution of different morphotypes in the Brazilian Amazon and described populations that ranged from black to light blue and from red to orange, yellow, cream and white. Amazonian Arrowhead Frog (Adelphobates galactonotus) aydap / iNaturalist Among the populations studied were light blue frogs found in the Caxiuanã region, in Pará. The scientific information ended up going beyond the limits of academia. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a few months after the study was published, blue specimens were already being offered in different European countries. In the collectors market, these animals came to be known as “blue galacts”. The North American agency states that colorful frogs are highly sought after in the pet trade and that the blue morphotype became especially coveted after its existence became publicized. It was precisely this incompatibility that made their presence abroad so suspicious: there were live blue frogs on the international market, although, according to the USFWS, Brazil had never authorized the export of that morphotype. "We live in a constant dilemma in conservation biology. When we publish studies describing the extraordinary biodiversity of the Amazon, such as the blue morphotype of Adelphobates galactonotus, we unintentionally end up providing a 'news catalog' for international trafficking. Omitting the exact coordinates of new discoveries has become a sad, but indispensable, security measure", laments Rodrigues. International trade is controlled by CITES Blue-colored species is one of the rarest lucasmrabelo / iNaturalist Adelphobates galactonotus is included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade