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New species of tiny frog size of top of pencil found in Brazil

In southern Brazil, researchers discovered a new tiny bright orange frog, Brachycephalus lulai, in Serra do Quiriri mountain forests and named it after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The discovery highlights how many specialized, undocumented species remain in the Atlantic Forest, a threatened biodiversity hotspot, and how researchers warn they could disappear without targeted conservation.
Researchers say individuals measure between 8.9 and 13.4 millimeters, belong to the `pumpkin toadlets` group, and show vivid colouring plus distinct genetic and anatomical traits in damp leaf litter.
Scientists published the species description in PLOS ONE and urged Serra do Quiriri receive dedicated wildlife refuge status, as Brachycephalus lulai occupies a range of just a few square kilometers.
Although researchers suggest the species may be classed as Least Concern, they warn deforestation, grassland conversion and climate pressures could erode its cloud-forest refuges.

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Teeny tiny orange toadlet found in Brazil

A new pumpkin toadlet species was recently discovered in the mountains of southern Brazil. Bracycephalus lulai is just over one centimeter (only 0.39 inches) long and the size of a pencil tip. It’s a completely new species of frog, and detailed in a study published this week in the journal PLOS One. “This new species is unique due to a combination of many characteristics,” Marcos R. Bornschein, a study co-author biologist at the Universidade Est…

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