Chinese scientists have found a new frog species, namely Leptobrachella verrucosa sp. nov., in south China’s Guangdong Province.
Chinese scientists have found a new frog species, namely Leptobrachella verrucosa sp. nov., in south China’s Guangdong Province. The findings were published in the journal Herpetozoa.
Researchers, along with staff of the Bijia Mountain provincial-level nature reserve in the Lianshan Zhuang and Yao Autonomous County, found the species in the reserve’s core area in May, and brought the living specimens back to the laboratory. They finally identified them as a new species of the genus Leptobrachella based on a combination of morphological and molecular data.
This image shows the morphological characteristics of Leptobrachella verrucosa sp. nov., a new frog species found in south China’s Guangdong Province. (Handout via Xinhua)
Lin Shishi, one of the authors of the academic paper, said that the species has a small body size, with five adult males measuring 23.2 to 25.9 mm in snout-vent length. They are iris bicolored, with the upper half coppery orange and the lower half grayish brown.
The new species looks like a frog. It is small in size, and its dorsal surface is rough, and covered with numerous conical tubercles. It has a creamy white belly, dotted with distinct grayish-white and dark brown spots.
It is difficult to be found as its color and pattern match its living environment very well. Its lifestyle is similar to those of nocturnal frogs.
Scientists believe that the discovery of the frog species has important theoretical and practical significance for future ecological protection, scientific education and research on biological evolution.
The new species of Verrucous Leaf Litter Toad was discovered in the Lianshan Bijiashan Nature Reserve in Guangdong. The findings have been published in the international academic journal Herpetozoa.
There are over 5,000 species of known frogs, and scientists continue to discover new species. Frog species come in a variety of sizes and colors. They can be found in a variety of habitats on every continent except Antarctica
Originally published at English News