New species of parrot, mouse and frog found

Manila: New species of parrot, mouse, and frog were found in the vanishing rain forest of the south, said US and Manila-based researchers who called for the conservation of all rain forests in the Philippines because they contain endemic species.

A brightly coloured parrot, a brown forest mouse with a long tail, and a dark green frog were discovered in the rain forest of Camiguin Island, a volcanic area in Mindanao, said researchers who also published their discovery in Fieldiana: Zoology, a journal on biodiversity, under the sponsorship of the Chicago-based Field Museum of Natural History.

The parrot, called Colasis by Camiguin residents, has green plumage, bright blue throat and upper legs; and brilliant scarlet-orange head and tail. Males and females have identical plumage, said Lawrence Heaney, a co-author of the report and curator of mammals at the Field Museum. Parrots of the same specie that were found in Camiguin earlier have dull plumage.

"We compared the newly discovered parrot from the Field's 40-year-old collections," said John Bates, chair of zoology at The Field Museum. "The discovery in Camiguin will make our research move forward," Bates added.

Meanwhile, the rusty brown mouse with a long tail, like a squirrel's, is new to residents of Camiguin. It has large eyes and ears and feeds mostly on insects and seeds.

It was compared to a mouse that was captured on Camiguin during a biological survey in 1994 and 1995, said the researchers.

The first frog was found in Camigui in 1967 and was thought to be the only vertebrate restricted to the island, the researchers said, adding that the discovery of another frog in a recent research is worth studying.

"Very few states in the United States and few countries in Europe have four endemic species of vertebrates. It is very clear that Camiguin is deserving of international attention," said Heaney.