An international research team has identified seven previously undescribed species of Madagascar's elusive diamond frogs (Rhombophryne), adding new evidence that this unusual amphibian group is far more diverse than scientists once realized.
Accurately identifying species and understanding where they live are essential for measuring biodiversity and protecting it. To sort out the identities of these frogs, researchers combined field observations, museum specimens, and advanced DNA analysis. The work revealed previously hidden species diversity and helped resolve a taxonomic problem that had remained unsettled for years.
By determining which frogs belong to which species and mapping where they occur, the researchers have also created a stronger scientific basis for conservation in Madagascar, where many forests are rapidly disappearing.
"Diamond frogs have been hiding their diversity beneath our feet," said Dr. Mark D. Scherz, Curator of Herpetology at the Natural History Museum Denmark and lead author of the study.
"Many species spend most of their lives beneath the leaf litter, and even when they emerge they can look deceptively similar," he added.
