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NEW SALAMANDERS AND OTHER BIOTREASURES DISCOVERED IN AN INCREASINGLY TOXIC COSTA RICA.

Article Excerpt
Costa Rica has added three more to the 40 species of salamander already known to live in this awesomely biodiverse country. Two of the newly debuted amphibians are pinky-sized members of the nocturnal Bolitoglossa genus, the third is a Nototriton, a dwarf, measuring only 3 cm (just over an inch) in length. They are all pretty small, but the discovery is big.

"Finding so many new species in one area is exciting, particularly as this is probably the only place in the world you can find these animals," said Alex Monro, who led three expeditions of scientists from London's Natural History Museum to La Amistad National Park, where the creatures were found.

La Amistad is a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Costa Rica's border with Panama. In all, the salamanders were among some 5,000 plants and animals the researchers recorded, and the investigators are far from finished. "It shows we still have a lot to learn about the variety of wildlife in this region. We have four more expeditions planned this year. Who knows what we could find when we go back?" said Monro.

In all the world, there are around 300 species of salamanders, most living in the Northern Hemisphere, but precious few have turned up since five new ones were found in east-central Mexico in 1998.

La Amistad has few roads, difficult terrain, and is...