Fanged frogs are members of Limnonectes, a large genus of frogs that includes at least 75 scientifically recognized species.
They are distributed from India to China and Indochina, through the Thai-Malaysia Peninsula, and across the Sunda Shelf landmasses (Borneo, Sumatra, and Java), the Malukus, the Lesser Sunda island chain, parts of western New Guinea, and the Philippines.
Genetic samples of the new species, the Mindoro fanged frog (Limnonectes beloncioi), were collected several years ago on Mindoro Island in the central Philippines but weren’t analyzed until recently.
Because of its nearly identical physical similarity to a fanged frog on the island of Palawan, called the Acanth’s fanged frog (Limnonectes acanthi), it was assumed to be the same species.
However, because the fanged frogs inhabit islands separated by miles and miles of ocean, University of Kansas doctoral student Mark Herr and colleagues had doubts they were the same species, in part because they had different-sounding calls.
The researchers decided to analyze the frogs’ genome and determined the Mindoro fanged frog qualified as its own distinct species. “This is what we call a cryptic species because it was hiding in plain sight in front of biologists, for many, many years,” Herr said.
“We also found differences in their mating calls. They sound quite different. So, it was a case of using acoustics to determine that the species was different, as well as the new genetic information.”
“The frogs’ fangs likely are used in combat for access to prime mating sites and to protect themselves from predators,” he added.
Read more here: http://www.sci-news.com/biology/mindoro-fanged-frog-09628.html
