New frog species discovered in Son Tra peninsula

Local scientists and international experts took more than 5 years to find a new frog species in Son Tra Peninsula, Da Nang.

This frog species is scientifically named Leptolalax rowleyae Nguyen et al. 2018 (English name is the Rowley's litter frog; Vietnamese: Potato eyebrow), distributed in Son Tra peninsula.

Dr. Hoa said that in 2012, she carried out a doctoral thesis on frogs and reptiles in Son Tra and Cu Lao Cham. During the process, she found a small population of this frog at an altitude of over 400m at Son Tra peninsula.

However, due to conditions not yet allowed for further analysis, this species has not been identified yet.

Raspberry eyebrow (scientific name Leptolalax rowleyae Nguyen et al. 2018) - (Photo: NGUYEN THANH LUAN).

Then, from in-depth studies on genetics and acoustics with the help of international experts from Russia and Canada along with domestic partners, Dr. Hoa and his students are masters Nguyen Thanh Luan (from the Asian Turtle Conservation Program) re-analyzed the above specimens and identified it as a new species for science.

This international publication has recently been published in the international journal Zootaxa, the issue of March 2018.

This is a small frog (body size less than 3cm), living in the forest on Son Tra peninsula, where the source of small streams. They live under litter along streams and cries like insects, so it is difficult to detect.

"This is an external morphology that is very similar to other species. However, when studying the acoustics and DNA (genetic information), international scientists determine that it is more than 5% different than species of the same type.

This is a long-term research process. This species is named to register for TS. Rowley Jodi from the Australian Museum, who has for a long time studied and preserved amphibians in Vietnam since 2007, " said Dr. Hoa.

According to Dr. The discovery of the new species in Son Tra shows that the potential for biodiversity here is still very large and needs more attention.

Currently there is no assessment of the level of threat to this species, the most basic conservation measure is to preserve their habitat (forest) and avoid littering activities in streams on Son Tra.