thanhniennews 14 Jun 12;
Australian and Vietnamese scientists have discovered another species of frog in central Vietnam, the Sai Gon Tiep Thi newspaper reports.
The Firth's Asian Leaf Litter Toad (Leptolalax firthi) was discovered and described by Australian Museum biologist Dr Jodi Rowley and her colleagues from the University of Science-Ho Chi Minh City, Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources and Vinh University.
The finding was published last month in Zootaxa, the world’s leading magazine for taxonomy, based in New Zealand.
The strange-looking toads were found in the forests of Quang Nam and Kon Tum provinces, according to the scientists.
Southeast Asia has been described as one of the world's biodiversity hotspots for amphibians. The website ecologyasia.com says it is a region "where a remarkable evolutionary explosion has resulted in incredible diversity of form, color and lifestyle." Over 700 species of amphibians can be found in the region.
