Do you like frogs? Good news: Five brand-new tree frog types have actually been determined on the island of New Guinea, and some have a creative (and gross) method to camouflage themselves by looking rather fecal.
The types are all in the Litoria genus, and “hail from hill and lower montane forest along the southern versant of Papua New Guinea’s Central Cordillera”, as explained by the group of scientists from the South Australian Museum, Queensland Museum, and Griffith University in a brand-new paper. The 5 fresh frog discovers are called Litoria daraiensis, Litoria gracilis, Litoria haematogaster, Litoria lisae, and Litoria naispela.
“Tadpoles of one new species, Litoria naispela actually live in water collected in tree hollows, a behavior not previously documented in frogs from New Guinea,” explained research study author Dr Paul Oliver in a statement. “Litoria naispela also has juveniles that have color and patterning that closely resembles bird droppings – we think this is a form of defensive masquerade.”
Luckily for Litoria naispela, it does not look like feces as an adult. Image Credit: Steve Richards
Despite its poopy look, L. naispela (the Crater Mountain Treehole Frog) gets its name from a Melanesian word significance “pretty” or “beautiful”.
Litoria lisae, aka Lisa’s Treefrog. Image Credit: Steve Richards
L. Lisae (aka Lisa’s Treefrog) is called in honor of the senior author’s spouse, Lisa Capon.
Litoria daraiensis, aka the Darai Plateau Treefrog. Image Credit: Steve Richards
L. daraiensis (the Darai Plateau Treefrog) is understood from simply one area on the Darai Plateau, as is L. haematogaster (the Red-bellied Treefrog), called for its brilliant red posteroventral surface areas.
Litoria haematogaster, aka the Red-bellied Treefrog. Image Credit: Steve Richards
L. gracilis (the Slender Spotted Treefrog) is flatteringly called after a Latin term significance “graceful”.
Litoria gracilis, aka the Slender Spotted Treefrog. Image Credit: Steve Richards
This discovery is the outcome of phylogenetic analysis, distinctions in morphology and ad calls, and over thirty years of fieldwork by senior author Dr Steve Richards, who said that “I spent a huge amount of time waiting at night beside tree holes in rain, hail and (moon)shine, for frogs to emerge in order to find these amazing species, and to try and learn about their biology.”
“New Guinea has more species of frogs than any other island in the world and most are found nowhere else,” Dr Richards explained. “New discoveries like this show that this richness of species is also matched by a diverse set of ways to make a living as a frog!”
New Guinea remains in Melanesia, an area of Oceania. A study released in 2022 discovered that “Melanesia has the world’s most diverse insular amphibian fauna, with over 7 percent of recognized global frog species in less than 0.7 percent of the world’s land area, and over 97 percent of species endemic.”
In reality, much more types of tree frogs in the Litoria genus were found in 2019, consisting of one called after its Pinnochio-like nose, another offered a name equating to “saucy monkey”, and another called after Pterodactylus due to its sliding capabilities.
“Amphibian populations are in decline globally,” said the South Australian Museum’s Acting Director Justine van Mourik. “Through the important work of our taxonomists, we are continuing to discover species, learn the vital role they play within our natural environments and better understand how we can protect these amazing species now and into the future.”
The research study is released in the journal Zootaxa.
