Pictures: Pea-Size Frog Found—Among World's Smallest

New Frog Is Right on the Money

Photograph courtesy Indraneil Das, Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation

Freshly transformed from a tadpole, a young Microhyla nepenthicola frog faces off with Abraham Lincoln on a U.S. penny. (Related pictures: "Coin-Size Frog Found—One of World's Smallest.")

An adult male of the new species is about the size of a pea. Their size makes them hard to spot, but fortunately for scientists, these mini-frogs have a loud croak.

"You often get tiny frogs making quite a noise," said Robin Moore, a herpetologist who was not involved in the discovery.

Moore is heading a Conservation International project to rediscover a hundred species of "lost" amphibians that have been declared extinct within the past decade. (Pictures: Ten Most Wanted "Extinct" Amphibians.)

Das, the co-discoverer of the new Bornean micro-frog, will join Moore in Indonesia in September to search for the Sambas stream toad (picture), last seen in the 1950s.

Published August 25, 2010

Pretty Pitcher

Photograph courtesy Indraneil Das, Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation

The new pea-size frog gets its name from the plant that the amphibian depends on to survive, Nepenthes ampullaria, which has a globular pitcher and grows in damp, shady forests.

At dusk, male frogs typically gather around a pitcher plant and sing a "love song" for females: raspy, minutes-long serenades separated by brief silences. This frog symphony can go on for several hours, Moore said.

It was the frog's croak that convinced scientists they were dealing with a new species, and not a juvenile of another species. That's because only adult frogs can sing, Moore said.

(See related pictures: "Frog Survival Linked to Eco-Health.")

Published August 25, 2010

Tiny Tadpoles

Photograph courtesy Indraneil Das, Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation

Tadpoles of a new species of micro-frog swim in a Bornean pitcher plant.

Female frogs deposit their eggs over the sides of such plants, and tadpoles grow in the water that collects in the pitchers.

The new species, Microhyla nepenthicola, belongs to a group of tiny frogs called microhylids. Of the roughly 30 known microhylid species, many are small Asian tree frogs, Moore said.

Adult microhylids generally feed on very young insects, tiny flies, or very small insects such as ants.

(Related: "Thirty Amphibian Species Wiped Out in Panama Rain Forest.")

Published August 25, 2010

Frog Lies on a Bed of Nail

Photograph courtesy Indraneil Das, Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation

Scientists measure a juvenile Microhyla nepenthicola frog that hasn't yet outgrown its tadpole tail.

Many frogs and amphibians around the world are disappearing as a result of habitat loss, disease, and climate change, said Conservation International's Moore. (See "Frog Extinctions Linked to Global Warming.")

It's not known yet whether the new species is threatened, but its rain forest home is being cleared for lumber and palm oil plantations.

(Also see "Giant 'Frog From Hell' Fossil Found in Madagascar.")

The new, pea-size frog species is detailed in a recent issue of the journal Zootaxa.

Published August 25, 2010