Russian scientists discover new toad species in Vietnam

June 16, 2014 | 08:51

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A group of Russian scientists have announced the discovery of two new amphibian species which were recently found in Vietnam, according to the Education for Nature-Vietnam.

The kalophrynus honbaensis<br /><span>Vitaly Trounov</span>

The new toad species, including kalophrynus cryptophonus and kalophrynus honbaensis, have several morphological characteristics similar to the kalophrynus interlineatus, a popular amphibian species living in Southeast Asia.

The kalophrynus cryptophonus, which was found residing in a bamboo tube in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong at the altitude of around 800m above sea level, has a pointed snout but does not have light stripes on the sides.

The kalophrynus honbaensis was spotted in the forests at the Hon Ba Natural Reserve in Vietnam's central coastal province of Khanh Hoa, at the altitude of around 1,500 m above sea level.

Phung My Trung, the manager of the website “Vietnam Forest Creatures” and a researcher of forest animals, said that this is the third species of the kalophrynus family ever found in Vietnam, proving that the country has rich areas of biodiversity in the context of the Southeast Asian region.

The new findings were released in the May issue of Zootaxa, a peer-reviewed scientific journal for animal taxonomists.

Education for Nature - Vietnam (ENV) was established in 2000 as Vietnam’s first non-governmental organization focused on the conservation of nature and protection of the environment, the ENV says on its website.

Tuoi Tre

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