The **Peruvian Amazon** covers an area of 782,880.55 km² located east of the **Andes Mountain Range**. It is one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet, hosting numerous endemic species, encompassing two natural regions: the low jungle and the high jungle, and occupying more than 60% of the Peruvian territory.
Although this area has the lowest population density in the country, it is the most anthropologically diverse, hosting most of the Peruvian ethnic groups and the majority of the **indigenous languages of Peru**. However, it is also a region of great conflicts due to illegal activities such as deforestation and mining.
New species in the Peruvian Amazon
A **fish with a bulbous head and bulging eyes** is one of the most fascinating discoveries made by a team of Peruvian scientists from the Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) of Conservation International in Peru.
This new species, called **Chaetostoma sp.**, is a mystery to researchers due to its enlarged bubble-shaped head, a characteristic never seen before.
“This fish is a type of catfish, and it is an enigma for us because we do not know how its unusual structure works,” said Trond Larsen, leader of the Rapid Assessment Program at Conservation International at the Moore Center for Science.
In addition to this fish, researchers recorded 26 other new species, including four mammals, ten fish, three amphibians, and ten butterflies, all discovered in the **landscape of Alto Mayo**. That is, in indigenous communities and areas adjacent to the Alto Mayo Protection Forest, where the Andes and the Amazon converge in South America.
Extraordinary discovery and its importance
The team, composed of eight scientists from Global Earth and six experts from the Regional Indigenous Federation of the Awajún Communities of Alto Mayo, carried out a 45-day biological expedition during the summer of 2022, the results of which were presented in December 2024.
Out of the 2046 identified species, 49 are **threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List**, such as the harlequin frog (*Atelopus seminiferus*), the yellow-tailed woolly monkey (*Lagothrix flavicauda*), and the San Martín titi monkey (*Plecturocebus oenanthe*).
The expedition is considered a success for discovering four new mammals: a bat of the genus **Carollia**, a squirrel (*Microsciurus sp.*), a rare amphibious mouse of the genus **Daptomys**, and a spiny mouse of the genus **Scolomys**.
The scientists identified 950 plant species, including five endemic to the San Martín region and three potentially new to science: **Stylogyne sp.**, **Ilex sp.**, and **Schefflera sp.**. In insects, they detected over 200 butterfly species, 14 of which were recorded for the first time in Alto Mayo, and 70 species of oil beetles, two of them new to science. Additionally, they documented 27 amphibian species, 18 reptiles, and 536 birds, a high number due to the variety of ecosystems in the area.
Environmental DNA and sustainability
One of the innovative methods used was environmental DNA (eDNA), which analyzes water samples to evaluate the **distribution of organisms in aquatic systems**. Researchers took water samples from the entire Alto Mayo basin, detecting the DNA of 261 vertebrate species, including fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals.
The Peruvian Amazon, with its **cloud forest mountains in the San Martín region**, hosts large cities and towns that drive deforestation, as well as Awajún communities, the second-largest indigenous group in the Peruvian Amazon. Yulisa Tuwi, a leader of the Awajún people, emphasized that the biological study conducted confirms the cultural work in species and area conservation within Alto Mayo.
Conservation International stated that these results will help identify **priority areas for protection**, working alongside the regional government of San Martín and local indigenous communities to preserve the Alto Mayo forest.
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