Page Content
This microhylid frog is the smallest frog in the Old World (Asia, Africa and Europe).
It lives and breeds in the pitchers plants (Nepenthes ampullaria) of the heath forests in Borneo. It is unusual in that only a few anurans have been recorded breeding in pitchers. This species displays less webbing on its hind limbs, perhaps in order to better climb the slippery sides of pitcher plants.
Although described only recently, this species has been seen before: previously, scientists had assumed that this species were juveniles of another type of frog, not adults of a new species.
Scientific Name
Microhyla nepenthicola sp. nov.
Where
Matang Range, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo
When
Published August 2010 in Zootaxa
Field Notes
Given the small size of the species, finding specimens was particularly difficult: most were tracked down by their calls, which are harsh rasping notes. Males gather in and around the pitcher plants at dusk to call.