[自然百科] Pea-Size Frog Found—Among World's Smallest

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Pea-Size Frog on Pencil PerchA newfound, pea-size frog, Microhyla nepenthicola, sits on the tip of a pencil.

One of the smallest frogs in the world, the species was spotted inside and around pitcher plants in Malaysian rain forests on the island of Borneo (map), which is divided among Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

The new species was announced Wednesday, but the frogs have been hiding in plain view for more than a century.
"I saw some specimens in museum collections that are over a hundred years old," co-discoverer Indraneil Das said in a statement.
"Scientists presumably thought they were juveniles of other species," said Das, a herpetologist at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak in Malaysia. "But it turns out they are adults of this newly discovered microspecies."


New Frog Is Right on the Money
Freshly transformed from a tadpole, a young Microhyla nepenthicola frog faces off with Abraham Lincoln on a U.S. penny.


An adult male of the new species is about the size of a pea. Their size makes them hard to spot, but fortunately for scientists, these mini-frogs have a loud croak.

"You often get tiny frogs making quite a noise," said Robin Moore, a herpetologist who was not involved in the discovery.
Moore is heading a Conservation International project to rediscover a hundred species of "lost" amphibians that have been declared extinct within the past decade.


Das, the co-discoverer of the new Bornean micro-frog, will join Moore in Indonesia in September to search for the Sambas stream toad (picture), last seen in the 1950s.



Pretty PitcherPhotograph courtesy Indraneil Das, Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation
The new pea-size frog gets its name from the plant that the amphibian depends on to survive, Nepenthes ampullaria, which has a globular pitcher and grows in damp, shady forests.

At dusk, male frogs typically gather around a pitcher plant and sing a "love song" for females: raspy, minutes-long serenades separated by brief silences. This frog symphony can go on for several hours, Moore said.

It was the frog's croak that convinced scientists they were dealing with a new species, and not a juvenile of another species. That's because only adult frogs can sing, Moore said.



Tiny TadpolesTadpoles of a new species of micro-frog swim in a Bornean pitcher plant.

Female frogs deposit their eggs over the sides of such plants, and tadpoles grow in the water that collects in the pitchers.
The new species, Microhyla nepenthicola, belongs to a group of tiny frogs called microhylids. Of the roughly 30 known microhylid species, many are small Asian tree frogs, Moore said.
Adult microhylids generally feed on very young insects, tiny flies, or very small insects such as ants.



Frog Lies on a Bed of Nail
Scientists measure a juvenile Microhyla nepenthicola frog that hasn't yet outgrown its tadpole tail.

Many frogs and amphibians around the world are disappearing as a result of habitat loss, disease, and climate change, said Conservation International's Moore.

It's not known yet whether the new species is threatened, but its rain forest home is being cleared for lumber and palm oil plantations.

jlt577

interesting.. so small this is a good sharing., thanks

HKS1

That pretty amazing. There always something new to be found around the Malaysian rain forests

eunos

you are beautiful so beautiful ...& yet so small