‘Lazy’ creature with ‘purplish’ chest found in mountains of Tibet. It’s a new species
In the mountains of Tibet, a “lazy” creature sat near a stream at night. Maybe it was the animal’s texture or “purplish” chest, but something about it caught the attention of passing scientists. It turned out to be a new species.
Researchers ventured into the mountains of Luozha County in 2021 and 2022 to survey local wildlife, according to a study published Dec. 20 in the journal ZooKeys.
Looking around the streams and wetlands, researchers found 34 textured toads, the study said. They took a closer look at the amphibians and realized they’d discovered a new species: Scutiger luozhaensis, or the Luozha lazy toad.
Luozha lazy toads are considered “moderate” in size, reaching up to about 2.6 inches in length, the study said. They have “rather rough” skin scattered with warts and bumps, “oval” tongues and “slender” toes with a small amount of webbing.
Several photos show a Luozha lazy toad. Overall, the animal has a dark olive-brown coloring with some lighter yellow spots. Researchers described its chest and throat as “more purplish,” while its stomach is a lighter cream. Its eyes look like a starry night sky.
Luozha lazy toads vary in color from “olive brown to bronze,” the study said. Photos show this variation. Some toads have more brown tones while others seem almost purple.
The new species was found in “mountain streams, moist scrub or forest floors near streams, and ponds of alpine wetlands,” researchers said. Luozha lazy toads live in the Himalayas between elevations of about 10,700 feet to about 14,600 feet.
Researchers said they named the new species after the area where it was discovered and, so far, the only area where it’s been found. Luozha County is in southern Tibet, an autonomous region controlled by China. The county borders Bhutan and is about 2,900 miles west of Shanghai.
The new species was identified by its body shape, texture, teeth and coloring, the study said. DNA analysis also confirmed the new species was distinct from other Asian lazy frogs.
The research team included Sheng-Chao Shi, Lu-Lu Sui, Shun Ma, Fei-Rong Ji, A-Yi Bu-Dian and Jian-Ping Jiang.
This story was originally published December 27, 2023 at 1:15 PM with the headline "‘Lazy’ creature with ‘purplish’ chest found in mountains of Tibet. It’s a new species."
