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As curator you have so many different species just next door!

The portrait of the Hungarian amphibian and reptile curator Dr. Judit Vörös
 

You have to be a tough one!


Dr. Vörös placing traps and collecting Triturus dobrogicus

Judit Vörös is a courageous person and that’s one of the qualities needed if you are the main national ambassador of an animal group, especially if this group is amphibians. Judit is since 2004 the curator of the Collection of Amphibians and Reptiles at the NHM in Hungary. This task includes the responsibility for about 20.000 specimens,  which need to be registered, determined, taken care of, lent to other institutions and  studied in various ways. It also includes collecting new specimens in the field. The amphibians often are collected during night time and in the water. When asked if it can be difficult to catch frogs, Judit laughs and says “Yes, actually you need to be a tough one!”

 

Unrevealing the secret of overlooked species 

The main research interest of Judit is the study of the evolutionary history of different amphibian species. Hereby she compares the morphology of different species with molecular data. The specimens are selected from different isolated areas and show genetic differences. The data allow her to draw conclusions about the relationship between closely related species and the evolution of species. It even happens that she discovers a new species, which has been overlooked so far!
The molecular data give even information about the phylogeographic history of the frogs and newts, from where and about when the species arrived in a certain area.

Litoria raniformisLitoria raniformis

Amphibians

Amphibia is a class of Vertebrates that includes caecilians, salamanders, newts, toads and frogs. They are ectothermic (cold-blooded) animals, which are adapted to aquatic as well as terrestrial life. They lay eggs in water, the aquatic larvae use gills to breath and then metamorphose to air-breathing form and develop lungs. Early amphibians were the first animals to adapt on land, representing the link from fish to terrestrial reptiles.

 

International collaboration enhances your own research

Bombina variegataBombina variegata Judit enjoys the collaborations with other scientists and to perform her research in different regions. Her curator work is restricted to Hungary, and however her study takes place in Hungary, she has done research in Spain, New Zealand and Australia. In a new project she collaborates with several amphibian specialists from Europe. They are studying a fungus which infects frogs. This parasite has its origin in South Africa and infects now frogs all over the world. The work of Judit is supported by several national and international funding bodies. Due to the collaborations Judit is able to study amphibian specimens from different collections and to apply many different research techniques.

Phylogeography

Phylogeography studies the historical processes that are responsible for the current geographic distribution of species. It compares the genetic and geographic structure of populations and tries to infer the past events that shaped the contemporary distribution patterns.

 

The work of taxonomists matters

How did it all start? Judit fell for the beauty of amphibians during a taxonomy course at the university. She noticed that there were not many amphibian specialists in Hungary and so she decided to do her research in this field.When asked what she likes most about her work, Judit answers “Going to the field is beautiful, I enjoy catching and handling amphibians. The curator work in the museum enables me to have so many different species next door and to see all the diversity. However, to see them live is the best. My work makes me feel useful. I enjoy meeting colleagues on international meetings and to discuss and share research results with them.”

To find out more about Judit’s research, please read these papers:

Evolution of Bombina bombina and Bombina variegata (Anura: Discoglossidae) in the Carpathian Basin: A history of repeated mt-DNA introgression across species

Crossing the Tasman Sea: Inferring the introduction history of Litoria aurea and Litoria raniformis (Anura: Hylidae) from Australia into New Zealand

Text: Kristina Articus-Lepage

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