Tag Archives: Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation

Smallest frog in Asia/Africa/Europe (Old World)

Despite the name for this blog, I’m not the greatest frog lover and I don’t tend to collect ‘froggy’ things. Stil, every once in a while a frog story catches my attention. In this case, it was the picture that did .

A new species of miniature frog was discovered in Borneo. Microhyla nepenthicola, shown here on the tip of a pencil, is about the size of a pea. (Credit: © Prof. Indraneil Das/Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation)

It took me a few seconds to realize that really is the tip of a pencil. According to the news item on Science Daily,

The smallest frog in the Old World (Asia, Africa and Europe) and one of the world’s tiniest was discovered inside and around pitcher plants in the heath forests of the Southeast Asian island of Borneo. The pea-sized amphibian is a species of microhylid, which, as the name suggests, is composed of miniature frogs under 15 millimeters.

“I saw some specimens in museum collections that are over 100 years old. Scientists presumably thought they were juveniles of other species, but it turns out they are adults of this newly-discovered micro species,” said Dr. Das [Dr. Indraneil Das of the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation at the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak].

Adult males of the new species range between 10.6 and 12.8 mm — about the size of a pea. Because they are so tiny, finding them proved to be a challenge. The frogs were tracked by their call, and then made to jump onto a piece of white cloth to be examined closer. The singing normally starts at dusk, with males gathering within and around the pitcher plants. They call in a series of harsh rasping notes that last for a few minutes with brief intervals of silence. This “amphibian symphony” goes on from sundown until peaking in the early hours of the evening.

You can read more about the discovery at Science Daily.