Shulou(Shulou.com)12/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, December 23 (Xinhua)-- biologists have discovered a new species of terrestrial nesting fangs frog, Limnonectes, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, which is the smallest "fangs" frog in the world, named Limnonectes phyllofolia.

The adult size of the new species is the smallest of all Limnonectes fangs, with a maximum nostril length (SVL) of about 3cm (1.2in).

CTOnews.com Note: nostril length (SVL) is a reptile morphological measurement from the tip of the nostril to the most posterior opening (orifice) of the cloaca. This is the most common method of measurement in reptiles and applies to all amphibians, dragons and crocodiles.

Limnonectes is a large genus of fork-tongued frogs of the Dicroglossidae family. Currently, there are 75 species in the genus, collectively known as fangs frogs, which like to compete for territory and mates with their tusks, and sometimes even prey on hard prey such as giant centipedes and crabs.

Jeff Frederick, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at the Field Museum in Chicago, USA, said:

Compared with other toothed frogs on the island where it was found, the new species is small, estimated at only 1/4.

Many frogs in this genus are huge and weigh as much as 1.8 jin. The weight of this new species is about the same as a penny.

Further studies have shown that not only are they small members of the fangs family, but the frogs responsible for taking care of a litter of eggs are all male. "this phenomenon is quite rare," Frederick said.

CTOnews.com attached the address of the reference paper.

J.H. Frederick et al. 2023. A new species of terrestrially-nesting fanged frog (Anura: Dicroglossidae) from Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. PLoS ONE 18 (12): e0292598

Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292598

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