A newly discovered species of stream frog from the Andes in Ecuador has been named after JRR Tolkien, author of famous fantasy works including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Expeditions carried out since 2020 in the Río Negro-Sopladora National Park have uncovered a large number of species previously unknown to science, including the magnificent Hyloscirtus tolkien - which was named by researchers in honour of one of their favourite writers. The newly discovered frog lives in the streams of the park, which was recently declared a protected area, preserving thousands of hectares of near primary forest in the south-east of the country.

Stream frogs are a group of amphibians that inhabit the high Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Their lives are closely linked to the rivers and streams of these mountainous regions, hence the name. Adults live in the vegetation along the waters edge, and their tadpoles develop among the river rocks.

Hyloscirtus tolkien is easily differentiated from other stream frogs by its unique colours and patterns. It is relatively large at 65mm long, with a greyish-green back with yellow spots and black specks, and a pale pink and black iris. The undersides of its legs are golden yellow, with large black spots and dots, and its fingers and toes have black bars, spots and broad stripes.

“The new species of frog has amazing colours, and it would seem that it lives in a universe of fantasies, like those created by Tolkien. The truth is that the tropical Andes are magical ecosystems where some of the most wonderful species of flora, funga, and fauna in the world are present," said researcher Diego Cisneros-Heredia from the Museum of Zoology of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ).

"Unfortunately, few areas are well protected from the negative impacts caused by humans. Deforestation, unsustainable agricultural expansion, mining, invasive species, and climate changes are seriously affecting Andean biodiversity.”

At present a single Hyloscirtus tolkien frog has been found in one location, so researchers say there is insufficient information to assess its conservation status and risk of extinction. The authors argue urgent research and monitoring is needed to study the frogs life history, ecology, population size and dynamics.

They suggest exploring new sites where additional populations may exist, and assessing whether their long-term conservation is affected by threats such as invasive species, mining, emerging diseases, and climate change.

How do you name a species?

Somewhere between 15,000 and 18,000 new species of plants and animals are discovered every year. When a new species is discovered, it must be identified which genus it belongs to and why, and then the species name can be added.

One of the benefits of discovering a new species is the opportunity to name it, and many scientists have taken inspiration from popular culture. For example, the ninja lantern shark - scientific name Etmopterus benchleyi - was named after Peter Benchley, author of the 1974 novel Jaws, later made into a blockbuster film of the same name, and there are over 40 species of animals and plants named after broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, including Attenborough’s rubber frog - Prisimantis attenboroughi.

This isn't the first time scientists have been inspired to name an amphibian after Tolkien. Bilbo's rain frog - Breviceps bagginsi - is a species in South Africa. The frog was named after Bilbo Baggins, the lead character in The Hobbit, because the scientist who discovered it, LR Minter, used to read the novel to his children.

Discovering and naming new species is an important mechanism to support global strategies for the conservation of vulnerable environments, since it reveals a lot about the biodiversity of an area or region. For example, amphibians are important pest controllers and play vital ecological roles in the stability of nature.

The study was published in the international journal ZooKeys.