New Species of Leopard Frog Discovered 50 Years After It was First Spotted

Scientists have officially discovered a new frog species--more than half a century after it was first spotted. Researchers have proven that the frog lives in wetlands from Connecticut to North Carolina and are now naming the amphibian after the ecologist who first noticed it.

The new species, Rana kauffeldi, is a leopard frog. The lead author of the new study, Jeremy Feinberg, first encountered it about six years ago in one of the most developed and heavily populated areas in the world. Then, two years ago, he worked with other scientists to prove that the frog was indeed a brand new species.

The frog was actually first spotted in 1937 by Carl Kauffeld. But his paper describing the amphibian fell short due to a lack of genetic testing and bioacoustics analysis. It isn't until these new techniques were developed that researchers were able to actually prove that this frog was a separate species.

Historically, the frog has been confused with two closely related species, because it looks so similar. The new species is a mint-gray to light olive green in color with medium to dark spots along its back.

"If there is a single lesson to take from this study, it's that those who love nature and want to conserve it need to shut down their computers, get outside and study the plants and animals in their own backyards," said Brad Shaffer, co-author of the new study, in a news release.

The new species brings the total amount of leopard frog species in the world to 19. What's truly exciting, though, is the fact that this species remained undetected for so long in such a highly populated area; its range spans eight east coast states and several major North American cities.

"It is incredible and exciting that a new species of frog could be hiding in plain sight in New York City and existing from Connecticut to North Carolina," said Joanna Burger, one of the researchers. "The process of recognizing, identifying and documenting a new species is long and arduous but is important for our understanding of the wide ranging wildlife in urban as well as other environments."

The findings are published in the journal PLOS One.