New Species of Toad Discovered in the Peruvian Andes

A new species of the true toad genus, resembling dead foliage, was discovered in the Peruvian Yungas.

The newly discovered toad 'Rhinella Yunga', named after its habitat, the Peruvian Yungas, belongs to the family of Bufonidae. Peruvian Yungas in English means 'Warm Valley'. It was discovered during herpetological surveys conducted in the Yanachaga-Chemillen National Park and the Pui Pui Protected Forests in Central Peru.

True toads come from the Bufonidae  family and are found in almost all the continents except for Australia and Antarctica.  They comprise of over 35 genera with some 500 species. These toads have a warty appearance and the coloration of decaying leaves, which helps them camouflage. They have a pair of parotid glands on the back of their heads. These glands carry poison which the toad excretes when stressed. Due to the presence of the special Bidder's organ, under the right conditions a male toad becomes female. A few toads like cane toad Rhinella marina are more toxic than others in the family.

"It appears that large number of still unnamed cryptic species remains hidden under some nominal species of the Rhinella margaritifera species group," Dr Jiri Moravec, National Museum Prague, Czech Republic, said in a statement.

What makes the newly discovered toad different from the related species is a lack of the tympanic membrane and tympanic annulus. This is a round membranous part of the hearing organ that is generally visible on both sides of the toad head. Due to the variety of colors and shapes identified within the same species group, the researchers find it challenging to use the traditional morphological methods of taxonomic research to trace the true species diversity within the family.

The findings have been documented in the journal Zookeys.