There is a proverb that good things come in small packages but it does both small, deadly amphibians. Southern zoologists in Sao Paulo, Brazil, have recovered a zoological parcel from the mountains, according to a new study published in the journal Plus One.
Incorporated into the genus Dead-Nugget Brachycephalus, which is remarkably orange, it is a group whose members have experienced some classification problems strictly due to being able to tell morphologically and genetically differently. The newest member is historically associated with the Brachycephalus ephippium, a toadlet species of pumpkin found historically in São Paulo. However, local biologists become suspicious, especially when the orange frog causes a head rounder and an unfamiliar song rather than getting taller. Pumpkin toadlets are named for their impressive orange color, although their resemblance to giant squash ends here, they themselves being just the size of a thumbnail.
While venomous frogs are all very similar in appearance and show some genetic diversity, it is even more understandable that unique species can keep an eye on science for quite some time. Pumpkin toadlet an integrated approach is needed to ensure that there was a distinct species in the mixture due to the inconvenience of pumpkin toadletness. Separately, the researchers employed genetic and physiological analyzes to document and compare living and museum specimens. The unique song of the Turbo-Orange toadlet was also important in saying this except for the Brachycephalus ephippium. Finally, the new species was named Brachycephalus rotenbergae.
The first indication of its existence was given by Thais Helena Condez, a practitioner at the Institute Nacional da Mata Atlântica, whose paper used genetic samples to illustrate the possibility of a new, unknown pumpkin toadlet species. “The new study follows our first evidence,” the Smithsonian report says, “and shows an integrated approach considering individual data based on genetics, morphology and bioacoustics.” Rather, with a squat build and adorably wrinkled face, B. rotenbergae is thought to retain the forest floor as a random creature that roams during the day.As well as having gorgeous orange skin it can fluoresce green under UV light (not heard in pumpkin toddles) thanks to the unusual bone plates on the skull and back, although what exactly this feature serves (if any) it sparks controversy. Because they are so small, pumpkin toadlets may look like prey to be easily picked by predators, but their brightly colored caution is a bad idea to eat their neurotoxin-coated bodies.
