Three new unusual frog species discovered in Tanzania

20/10/2010 15:34:06 New frog species have a tiny range of as little as 10 kms²
October 2010. Three highly endangered species of frog new to science were recently discovered in the rainforests of Tanzania.

The frogs were discovered during surveys of the northern part of the rainforests of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. These peculiar frogs are characterized by very flat faces and a robust, glandular body. They spend most of the daytime hiding in the leaf litter or in tree hollows, then later, at around dusk, climb up vegetation, tree trunks and branches where they spend the night. When disturbed they can secrete a sticky substance, which probably has a defensive function. The group of scientists - from Switzerland, Italy, London and Tanzania - who discovered the new species have recognised them as belonging to the Eastern Arc endemic genus Callulina.

C. laphami has a range of just 16.5 km2

Critically endangered
The discovery of three new Callulina species that are confined to small areas of this part of Tanzania raises conservation concern for this group of frogs and also for the forest remnants where they live. Callulina species are typically encountered in forests and their close association with these habitats means that they are particularly threatened by forest disruption and destruction. The three species described all have extremely narrow distributional ranges and occur in an area that has undergone recent habitat change. Based on criteria used by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the authors propose that all three new species will likely qualify as being critically endangered. Their estimated extents of occurrences are all extremely low (C. laphami of about 16.5 km²; C. shengena of about 35 km² and C. stanleyi of about 9.7 km²).

To better understand the conservation biology of the three new species further fieldwork is needed to clarify the extent of their occurrence, their ecological requirements and details of their life history as well as assess the need for, and possible efficiency of any monitoring programme.

The discovery of these new species is published in the latest issue of the Zoological Journal of the Linnaean Society. This work was based on a long and fruitful collaboration between the Institute of Biogeography of the University of Basel, the Trento Museum of Natural Sciences in Italy, the Natural History Museum of London and the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

SIMON P. LOADER, DAVID J. GOWER, WILIRK NGALASON and MICHELE MENEGON. (2010) Three new species of Callulina (Amphibia: Anura: Brevicipitidae) highlight local endemism and conservation plight of Africa's Eastern Arc forests. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society,160, 496-514.

habitat in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania

C. stanleyi