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This amphibian belongs to a recently discovered species, Nectophrynoides luhomeroensis, which bears live offspring. (Image credit: John Lyarkurwa)ShareShare by:
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Researchers have spotted three novel toad types that produce live “toadlets” rather than depositing eggs.
Each of the three types falls under the Nectophrynoides genus, also referred to as “tree toads,” a recognized taxon for giving birth to fully formed small toads, bypassing the larval stage. Previously assumed to be a solitary species possessing a sizable populace and territorial reach, these diminished, more separated species might necessitate extra protective actions, as indicated by the investigators in a recent report.
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Only 17 of more than 7,000 documented frog and toad types were recognized to produce live young prior to this investigation, in which 13 of them are classified in the Nectophrynoides genus. The recent investigation, distributed Nov. 6 in the journal Vertebrate Zoology, incorporates the three newly classified types to each of the running tallies.
Investigators initially recognized a type referred to as Nectophrynoides viviparus in 1905 and categorized it among the Nectophrynoides genus in 1926. Subsequently, scientists have discovered instances of N. viviparus all over the Eastern Arc Mountains and Southern Highlands of Tanzania. However, a study in 2016 implied that many of these toads were genetically distinct enough that they could stem from numerous, comparable-but-separate species.
In the current investigation, scientists examined Nectophrynoides toads from the Eastern Arc Mountains with increased attention. They scrutinized a multitude of toad specimens conserved in museums, along with documented sounds of a few of the toads communicating in their natural surroundings. Employing techniques widely known as museomics, they additionally sampled mitochondrial DNA from specific museum specimens.
One of the freshly documented toad species, N. uhehe.
Taken together, the investigation revealed that the toads inhabiting that locality were actually derived from four distinct species, in which three had previously not been identified. These species — Nectophrynoides saliensis, Nectophrynoides luhomeroensis and Nectophrynoides uhehe — bear a resemblance to N. viviparus. Yet, subtle diversities in their genetic codes, the configurations of their heads, and the configuration and placements of glands appearing on their shoulders set them apart. Further toad populations from the northern reaches of the mountains could make up even more recent species, the scientists indicated.
“Some of these specimens were gathered in excess of 120 years prior,” indicated study co-author Alice Petzold, an evolutionary scientist associated with the University of Potsdam in Germany, in the announcement. “Our museomics endeavor was equipped to expose definitively which populations those long-standing specimens belonged to, awarding us a more robust assurance for prospective explorations into these toads.”
Scientists had formerly considered N. viviparus to be extensively distributed across the Eastern Arc Mountains and Southern Highlands and that it was neither at risk nor in danger. Yet, the revelation that the four unique species possess substantially diminished and more fragmented territories could alter their protective categorizations, given that each particular species might face greater jeopardy than projected. One allied species, Nectophrynoides asperginis, became extinct in nature in 2009 following the building of a nearby dam, together with a fungal disease outbreak.
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“The woodlands recognized as habitats for these toads are diminishing at an accelerated pace,” indicated study co-author John Lyakurwa, a biologist at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, in the announcement. These habitats are susceptible to both human exploitation and alterations to the climate.
Future analyses could enable scientists to ascertain the extent of endangerment faced by each species and educate conceivable protective blueprints, the investigators noted in the study.
TOPICSconservation
Skyler WareSocial Links NavigationLive Science Contributor
Skyler Ware is a freelance science reporter addressing chemistry, biology, paleontology and Earth science. She functioned as a 2023 AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellow while at Science News. Her efforts have additionally appeared in Science News Explores, ZME Science and Chembites, among other outlets. Skyler holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Caltech.
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