New species: Roedder’s Narrow-mouth frog (Microhyla roedderi)
A new species of Microhyla was just published in the international journal Zootaxa!
Based on morphological and molecular evidence, the authors describe the new species of Microhyla (Nanohyla) from Deo Ca Mountain in Vietnam. The new species differs from congeners by high genetic divergences in 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA sequences (9.31–11.28 %), surpassing known genetic distances between other recognized species of the subgenus Nanohyla. The new species was revealed to be a sister species to M. nanapollexa from Kon Tum Province, Vietnam.
The discovery took place in the South-Central Vietnam Lowlands Subregion. The new species from Deo Ca Mountain was discovered on the ground near streams in the evergreen forest. Unfortunately, the habitat is not protected and is at risk of degradation.
Roedder’s Narrow-mouth frog (Microhyla roedderi) was named by the international research team after me to honor my long-term support of conservation-based research of our Vietnamese-German cooperation team, including supporting student work and providing expertise in species distribution modeling. Given the rapid decline of biodiversity, effective education of the next generation of biologists/conservationists and developing joint projects in such international, interdisciplinary collaboration networks is pivotal for effective documentation and protection of species and habitats.
I really like that small frog. Thank you so much!
Chung Van Hoang, Cuong The Pham, Truong Quang Nguyen, Tien Quang Phan, Thomas Ziegler, Nikolai Orlov, Jianping Jiang, Dang Trong Do (2025): A new species of Microhyla (Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae), with an extended description of Microhyla nanapollexa from Vietnam. Zootaxa 5566: 347-369.