Paedophryne

Paedophryne
Paedophryne amauensis on a US dime
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Microhylidae
Subfamily: Asterophryinae
Genus: Paedophryne
Kraus, 2010
Places where Paedophryne has been found

Paedophryne is a genus of microhylid frogs from Papua New Guinea. All six species known so far are amongst the smallest frog and vertebrate species.

Paedophryne amauensis

Paedophryne amauensis is a recently discovered species of frog from Papua New Guinea. Only 7.7 millimetres (0.30 in) long, it is the world's smallest known vertebrate.

Discovery

The frog species was discovered in August of 2009 by Christopher Austin when exploring Papua New Guinea. The National Science Foundation sponsored the exploration.

Characteristics

The frog is a millimeter smaller than the previous record holder for being the world's smallest vertebrate – a species of carp (Paedocypris progenetica) from Indonesia. The frog mainly lives on land. According to its discoverers, the life cycle of the frog does not include a tadpole stage.

References

  1. ↑ Kraus, F. (2010). "New genus of diminutive microhylid frogs from Papua New Guinea". ZooKeys (48): 39–59. Bibcode:2010ZooK...48...39K. doi:10.3897/zookeys.48.446. open access publication – free to read
  2. 1 2 3 Rittmeyer, Eric et al. N. (2012). "Ecological guild evolution and the discovery of the world's smallest vertebrate". PLOS ONE. 7 (1) e29797. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...729797R. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029797. PMC 3256195. PMID 22253785.
  3. ↑ Black, Richard (11 January 2012). "BBC News - World's smallest frog discovered". BBC News. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
  4. ↑ World's tiniest frogs found in Papua New Guinea The Australian 12 January 2012
  5. 1 2 3 "World's smallest creature with a vertebrate named". The Telegraph. 12 January 2012. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  6. ↑ "Hallan en Papúa Nueva Guinea a las ranas más pequeñas del mundo" (in Spanish). eluniverso.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2012-01-12.