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US-AUSTRALIA-FROG
When biologist Simon Clulow spotted the frog's unusual marble
pattern on its belly, he knew it could be a previously unknown
species, a find made all the more unusual as it was not in a
remote habitat but on land close to an airport.
"Nowadays many new discoveries are based primarily on genetics,
that is, the frogs look similar to other known species but when
we analyze them in the lab we find they differ genetically,"
said Clulow, of the University of Newcastle, Australia.
"It's almost unheard-of to pick up a vertebrate in the field and
know instantly, based on appearance alone, that it is a new
species."
The species, found at Oyster Cove near Newcastle Airport in New
South Wales, has been dubbed uperoleia mahonyi, or "Mahony's
Toadlet", in honor of Clulow's mentor, frog expert and
conservationist Professor Michael Mahony.
Although a frog rather than a toad, the word "toadlet" was added
because the glands on its back look like those found on some
toads in Europe and the Americas.
"They are highly secretive. Individuals remain well camouflaged
and hidden under grass, leaves and sand," Clulow said, adding
that the best way to find them is by following their mating
call, an audible "squelch" of less than a second.
When confronted by predators, the frog extends its legs and
flashes its orange groin, which Clulow believes briefly startles
predators, allowing it to escape. His findings, with co-authors,
is published in peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa.
(Reporting by Reuters Television; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
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