Two new frog species were discovered in Muong Nhe and Sop Cop nature reserves

Vietnamese and German scientists have discovered and published a new distribution area of ​​two new amphibian species for Vietnam's reptile amphibian system in Russian Journal of Herpetology No. 21 (December 2014) based on specimens collected in Dien Bien Province (Muong Nhe Nature Reserve) and Son La (Sop Cop Nature Reserve and Copia), Northwest Vietnam.

These two amphibian species are scientifically named Babina lini (Chou, 1999) and Hylarana menglaensis Fei, Ye et Xie, 2008. Both species have been recorded in slow-flowing streams and at an altitude of 1000-1600m compared to sea ​​level.

1. Babina lini stream frog

Babina lini liners were previously recorded in many countries such as China, Laos and Thailand.Species of species in Vietnam are 49.8 - 59.5 mm in males and 55.1 - 60.8 mm in females. The back is dark brown with narrow bright stripes in the middle and two broader stripes on the outer edge. The flanks have large, smooth, pale yellow folds. The cries of species are recorded only at night.

Lini Babina lini Frog - (Photo: Le Trung Dung)

2. Frogs cling to muong la Hylarana menglaensis stones

The stone-clad frog is endemic to China, previously recorded only in Yunan province, southeast China. The previous species may be mistaken for the Hylarana nigrovittata, which has a wide distribution area in Vietnam.The female of the species has the size of 44.1 - 49.3 mm larger than the male 38.9 - 44.9 mm, the top of the head and body are gray-brown with many small black spots, the flanks are larger black spots . The cries of the species are recorded both day and night.

Frogs clinging to muong la Hylarana menglaensis - (Photo: Le Trung Dung)

Recent published works by the team of scientists show a close relationship between amphibious systems among the forested areas of northwestern Vietnam, northeastern Laos and southeast China. Further research is needed to verify the reality of this relationship.