Two New Frog Species Discovered on Madagascar's Highest Mountain

Posted on January 13, 2016

Scientists have announced the discovery of two new species of frogs on Madagascar. The frogs were discovered on Tsaratanana Massif, the highest mountain on the island and one of its most remote regions. Tsaratanana Massif reaches 9,436 feet (2,876 metres) at its peak. The frogs reside on the forest floor.

The expedition to the remote mountain included a team of scientists from Germany and Spain. The new frog species are named Rombophryne ornata and Rombophryne tany. Rombophryne ornata is pictured above. It is a reddish color with black marks between each eye and spines located over its eye sockets. R. tany is a brownish color. Both species are somewhat camouflaged in the leaf litter on the forest floor.

The region the frogs were discovered in is in a national park which is difficult to access. This could bode well for their longterm survival.

David Vieites, an author of the study and scientist at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid, told SINC, "Those mountains are home to a high level of native species and are very rarely visited by researchers seeing as there are no roads and barely any paths that lead to the base."



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