This week, we described three new species of toads from Tanzania in the Open Access journal Vertebrate Zoology!
Photo credit: John Lyakurwa.
These toads look absolutely crazy. Like, look at the new species Nectophrynoides uhehe:
Photo credit: Michele Menegon
Or the closely related Nectophrynoides viviparus, which was described in 1905 but which we revised in this paper.
Photo credit: Michele Menegon
These are unlike most toads you might know. They live in trees and bushes of the rainforest, crawling and leaping about!
But neither ecology nor apperance are nearly the craziest part: These toads are live bearing! Females carry huge litters, sometimes >100 young, until they complete their development, and give birth to these tiny, fully formed toadlets.
CW: Preserved specimen of a pregnant toad below the cut.
Check out this photo of a pregnant female of the new species Nectophrynoides saliensis, with her torso completely packed with babies!
Photo by Christian Thrane, who did his Bachelor's thesis on the taxonomy of this group, which became this publication on which he is the first author.
Long-time followers of my tumblr probably know by now that the egg-tadpole-froglet-frog paradigm of anuran reproduction is oversimplified; that something like one third of all frogs either do not have tadpoles at all, or have non-feeding tadpoles that are not free-swimming. But live bearing is a form of reproduction that is extremely rare among frogs. However, it is a trait shared by all members of the genus Nectophrynoides and the closely related Nimbaphrynoides. It is truly bizarre, and requires a host of specialised adaptations. Our newly described species add to the list of known species that practice this behaviour—a list that we also know will continue to grow in the near future as further known but yet undescribed species of Nectophrynoides receive scientific names.
You can read more about the discovery over on my website, here!
I never knew there were any jumping spiders that mimicked caterpillars! That’s so clever! So many things that would eat a little spider would never eat a bitter prickly caterpillar!
Using milk jugs as mini greenhouses for cacti that need more heat than Seattle can provide. It also keeps humidity in after watering, which they also prefer when it's hot.
Sedum spathulifolium ssp. spathulifolium Ex Paul Symington (from Vancouver Island!) and one of my collections of Sedum lanceolatum ssp. nesioticum from Fidalgo Island.
It's not common to find soft, almost scoria like porous basalt like this in central Washington but I got lucky this past April and found this very soft, workable piece at a pullover near Wanapum Recreation Area.
Naryciodes Caterpillars: these caterpillars have gummy-like bodies with features that mimic the appearance of a snail; they even have appendages that resemble eyestalks, but they're actually located on the caterpillar's rump
The scientific name of this species is Naryciodes posticalis. It belongs to the Limacodidae family of moths, which are commonly known as slug moths, thanks to the gelatinous, slug-like appearance of their larvae. That name seems a little ironic in this case, because Naryciodes posticalis actually mimics a snail.
Above: Naryciodes posticalis caterpillar
The caterpillar has a bulge in the center of its body, with colorful markings that form three concentric layers. These features mimic the appearance of a snail's shell, which may help to deter predators. It also has a pair of short, stubby appendages that resemble eyestalks, but they're located at the back of the caterpillar's body.
Above: this photo shows the underside of the caterpillar's body, with its mouth slightly visible on the right
This species is found only in Japan.
Despite my best efforts, I couldn't find any other information about these strange little creatures, and I get the sense that the entire genus is poorly studied.
Abronia latifolia at KVI Beach, Vashon Island, Washington State. Only population of this species in King County. I love it when they get other natives growing through them, such as Ambrosia chamissonis and Festuca cf. roemeri.
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