A new toad from the 'warm valleys' of Peruvian Andes
Friday, January 17, 2014 - 13:20
in Earth & Climate
A new species of toad was discovered hiding in the leaf litter of montane rain forest known as Peruvian Yungas ("warm valley" in translation). Like many other toads (family Bufonidae) inhabiting the forest floor, the new species Rhinella yunga has a cryptic body coloration resembling decaying leaves in the area, securing perfect camouflage but making morphological identification of species hard for scientists.