New Miniature Frog Species Discovered In Australia

A new miniature frog species has been discovered in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, an area previously thought to support very few of the amphibians.

AsianScientist (Jul. 27, 2011) – Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU), the Western Australian Museum, and the University of Western Australia have used genetic techniques to show that more species of frog are present in the Pilbara than previously thought.

The Pilbara is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia and is also designated a bioregion under the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA).

“The deserts of Australia are often believed to be empty regions with few species. However genetic work on reptiles and amphibians has shown that there are large numbers of species in what looks like a barren landscape to most people,” said Renee Catullo, a Ph.D. student from the Research School of Biology at ANU and lead author on the study.

The researchers also identified a new species of burrowing frog called the Pilbara toadlet (Uperoleia saxatilis), which is just over two centimeters long.

“Toadlets are native to Australia and this new species brings the total number to 27, the second largest group of frog species in the country,” said Catullo.

Little is known about this small, brown creature but it has been found following cyclonic rains and occurs in rocky gorges and creeks of the region.

The discovery was part of a research project that uses genetic techniques to try and understand the true number of species of toadlets as DNA can be used to differentiate between species of frog that look very similar.

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Source: Australian National University.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

Yew Chung is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore.

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