German biologists from the University of Koblenz-Landau have discovered a new frog species in the mountain forests of southern Rwanda. The amphibians found were named Arthroleptis nyungwensis, or Nyungwe squealing frog. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Variation.
Nyungwe squeak frogs are small amphibians reaching 1.5 centimeters in length. They are red-brown in color with white spots. The animals live in fallen leaves at an altitude of 1.7 to 2.2 kilometers above sea level.
According to scientists, the distinctive feature of the discovered species was a piercing scream that sounded like a very short and very high-pitched whistling sound, reminiscent of the sound of a children’s squeaky toy. Amphibians can also trill and whistle. Biologists think that this is how frogs warn of danger and signal mating.
According to the research, Arthroleptis nyungwensis differs from other squeaking frogs in its size, voice, skin texture and body shape. The analysis showed that the new species had at least 4.6% genetic divergence from its relatives.
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