New species of 'pumpkin toadlet' poisonous frog found in Brazil [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

LIFE 28 April 2021
By Jake Buehler



A pumpkin toadlet crawls past a bright orange mushroom, a common feature of the tiny frog’s habitat

Edelcio Muscat

Pumpkin toadlets are poisonous frogs with brilliant orange skin that are small enough to fit on a thumbnail – and researchers have uncovered a new species of these vibrant amphibians.

Ivan Nunes at São Paulo State University in Brazil and his colleagues suspected a local toadlet species (Brachycephalus ephippium) was more than it appeared. Unusually widespread for a pumpkin toadlet, the species was found throughout the southeastern coastline of Brazil. The team suspected that the wide-ranging frogs were actually multiple species with smaller ranges.

Nunes and his team collected wild toadlets from the Project Dacnis preserve near São Paulo, measuring and comparing the physical features of 276 frogs. The team also made 76 field surveys between October 2018 and September 2019 to study the toadlets’ behaviours and habitat use.

They also included museum specimens that were collected over a range of 200 kilometres. The team analysed DNA samples from 71 toadlets, and recorded the mating calls of several males to see how they compared with those from close relatives.

More:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2276186-new-species-of-pumpkin-toadlet-poisonous-frog-found-in-brazil/

Also posted in Science:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/122875783











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