New Moss frog species found in Vietnam

Australian and Vietnamese scientists have discovered two small moss frogs of the genus Theloderma on Kontum and Lang Bian plateaus in the Central Highlands.

Based on analysis on morphology and atom genetics, the two frogs are identified as Misty Moss Frog (Theloderma nebulosum) and Cloaked Moss Frog (Theloderma palliatum).

The Cloaked Moss Frog is named after its ability to change from a dull, mottled brown to a bold, high-contrast pattern while the Misty Moss Frog is named after its mist-shrouded habitat on Kon Tum Plateau in Vietnam.

(Cloaked Moss Frog. Photo: Jodi j. L. Rowley)

(Misty Moss Frog. Photo: Jodi j. L. Rowley)

Some features that make the new species different from other frogs are their body length (under 3cm), absence of vomerine teeth, wrinkles on their skin, brown backs and eyes with two colors, and absence of webbed feet on the first two legs, said Thuy Duong, a local scientist.

According to scientist Jodi Rowley of Australian Museum, one of the people finding the new species, Southeast Asian amphibians are both poorly known and highly threatened.

“That's the biggest reason that my colleagues and I spend weeks searching the montane forests of the region, discovering and documenting the amazing diversity of the amphibians found there,” Rowley wrote in his blog.

“It's a vital first step towards amphibian conservation in the region,” he said.