‘Stocky’ creature — with a ‘large’ tongue — found in Vietnam forest. See new species
Along the forest streams of northwestern Vietnam, a small creature may be easily mistaken for a fallen leaf floating along with the current.
But if that creature were to reach the stream’s edge, it would pull itself out from the water and hop away.
The animal is a little brown frog and it was recently discovered as a new species, according to a Nov. 4 study published in the peer-reviewed Biodiversity Data Journal.
Leptobrachella huynhi, or the Huynh’s leaf-litter frog, was discovered during field studies in the Sin Ho District in 2016 and 2024, according to the study.
The frogs measure less than two inches long with a “stocky” body and “slender” limbs, researchers said.
Inside their blunt head, they have a “large” and “broad” tongue, according to the study.
The frogs have a “gray-brown” body with darker brown markings on their sides, and dark stripes down the back legs, researchers said. Their belly, on the other hand, is “creamy-white” with white spots.
Its entire back is covered with “low, round (bumps) of irregular sizes,” according to the study.
While the frog itself is small, it is considered “medium-sized” compared to other related species. It has a relatively long head, a leathery skin texture and copper irises that establish it as a new species.
“Specimens of the new species were found in small streams at elevations (of about 5,300 feet above sea level) in evergreen forest nearby Sin Ho Town and (an) intercity road,” according to the study.
The new species has only been found in this region.
“The new species is named after Professor Dr. Huynh Huy Dang, chairman of the Zoological Society of Vietnam, to honor his great contributions to the vertebrate fauna of Vietnam,” researchers said.
The new species marks the 103rd frog in the genus, 35 of which are found in Vietnam.
Sìn Hồ District is in northwestern Vietnam, near the southern border of China.
The research team includes Chung Van Hoang, Anh Mai Luong, Truong Quang Nguyen, Tao Thien Nguyen, Hoa Thi Ninh, Linh Hoang Tu Le, Thomas Ziegler and Cuong The Pham.
