Seven New Species Of Frog That Simply Refuse to Grow Found in Brazil

Seven new species of miniature frogs not exceeding one centimeter in length were recently discovered in Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest.

The species belong to a genus called Brachycephalus which are among the smallest terrestrial vertebrates, first described in 1842. However, most discoveries of new species have been recent as the frog has receded to higher ground, pushed by climate change.

"Although getting to many of the field sites is exhausting, there was always the feeling of anticipation and curiosity about what new species could look like", said Marcio Pie, a professor at the Universidade Federal do Paraná, who led the project.

The seven new species described in the journal Peerj are said to be endemic to one or a few mountaintops. Their brightly colored skin indicates a potent neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin.

Researchers are confident of finding of more species but are concerned about the threat of extinction as cloud forests are highly sensitive to climate change.

"This is only the beginning, especially given the fact that we have already found additional species that we are in the process of formally describing," said Luiz Ribeiro, a research associate to the Mater Natura Institute for Environmental Studies.