A U.S. researcher has discovered the world’s smallest frogs in forests of southeastern Papua New Guinea.
The study by Fred Kraus from the Bishop Museum, Hawaii, USA, published in the journal ZooKeys, describes two new species of the miniaturized microhylid frog genus Paedophryne.
Frogs Paedophryne dekot at left and Paedophryne verrucosa at right (Fred Kraus)
The first species was named Paedophryne dekot and described on the basis of two female specimens measuring from 8.5 to 9 mm in length. The species name dekot is the word for “very small” in Daga, the language spoken in Papua New Guinea in the area from which the species was collected.
This frog inhabits leaf litter on the floor of rainforest on the western slope of Mt. Dayman in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea.
The second species, named Paedophryne verrucosa, was described on the basis of twelve male and female specimens measuring only about 8-9 mm. The species name verrucosa means “full of warts” in Latin.
The habitat of Paedophryne verrucosa is leaf litter on the floor of rainforest on the southeastern slope of Mt. Suckling in the same province.
These newly discovered frogs represent what are currently the smallest known species of tetrapods.
