Welcome to the gang: tiny,toxic frog is a new species

摘要

PUMPKIN toadlets are poisonous frogs with brilliant orange skin that are small enough to fit on a thumbnail - and now a new species has joined their ranks. Ivan Nunes at Sao Paulo State University in Brazil and his team suspected a local toadlet species (Brachycephaius ephippium) was more than one species. They collected wild toadlets, measuring and comparing the physical features of 276 frogs. The team also conducted 76 field surveys between October 2018 and September 2019 to study toadlet behaviour and habitat use. The researchers also included museum specimens from a range of 200 kilometres. They analysed DNA samples from 71 toadlets, and recorded the mating calls of several males to see how they compared with those of close relatives.