Scientists at the Queensland Museum recently discovered a new species of frog in New Guinea. It’s about the Litoria Mira, which received the name of chocolate frog by its color.
See also: Why is World Environment Day celebrated?
The chocolate frog is part of the group of arboreal species, known for their green skin, however, this new species enters to change the trend.
The lead author of the paper that unveiled the discovery, Dr. Paul Oliver, linked to the Queensland Museum and Griffith University, said that once they saw the new species, they started calling it chocolate frog and the name stuck.
“The closest known relative of Litoria mira it’s the frog australian green arboreal. The two species look similar, except that one is usually green, while the new species has a beautiful chocolate color, ”said Dr. Oliver.
It is rare that Australia’s well-known and common green tree frog had a long-overlooked relative living in the lowland rainforests of New Guinea.
“That is why we called the new frog Litoria mira because the word mira means surprised or strange in Latin,” he says.
It may interest you: What is the great garbage island of the Pacific and where is it?
For his part, Steve Richards of the South Australian Museum, a co-author of the paper, said the researchers thought the species is probably widespread in New Guinea.
“Because the frog lives in very hot, swampy areas with lots of crocodiles, all of these things discourage exploration,” said Dr. Richards.
“While New Guinea is not a place that most Australians know well; many groups of animals are shared. So understanding the biodiversity in New Guinea helps us understand the history and origins of Australia’s unique wildlife. “
From the Museum of Queensland, its executive director Dr. Jum Thompson said that taxonomy plays an important role in the field of science and in understanding the world’s biodiversity.
He stressed that there is still much to learn about biodiversity in the region and that museums have an important role in the description and conservation of its natural world heritage.
With information from the Queensland Museum.
More environmental news
– (From recycling, to modeling)
– (UN assures that it is the decade to ‘overcome fossil fuels’)
– (They allocate more than 11 thousand hectares to conservation in the Orinoquia)
– .
