Micro Frogs

Four new frogs that can sit on a thumbnail have been discovered in India.

18:18 23 February 2017

Following several years of exploration in the forests of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in India, scientists have discovered some of the smallest frogs in the world; four of them are so tiny that they can sit on a thumbnail.

 

Sonali Garg of the University of Delhi, said: "These tiny frogs can sit comfortably on a coin or a thumbnail," 

 

"We were surprised to find that the miniature forms are in fact locally abundant and fairly common.

 

"They were probably overlooked by researchers because of their extremely small size, secretive habitats and insect-like calls."

 

The miniature frogs belong to Nyctibatrachus group that was identified through their DNA, physical features and call patterns.

 

Prof SD Biju of the University of Delhi, who led the research, added: "Over 32%, that is one-third of the Western Ghats frogs, are already threatened with extinction," he said.

 

"Out of the seven new species, five are facing considerable anthropogenic threats and require immediate conservation prioritisation."

 

Commenting on the study, Dr Dr Laurence Jarvis, head of conservation at the UK charity, Froglife, said that the findings are globally significant.

 

"This highly biodiverse region contains many unique amphibian species and the area is under increasing threats from human disturbance," he said.

 

"The discovery of these new species will increase our understanding of the conservation priorities for amphibians in the region."