‘Strong’-armed creature with yellow fingertips found on peak. It’s a new species
On a mountain in southern China, a “strong”-armed creature with yellow fingertips perched in a bamboo forest. Its “large” brown eyes scanned the surrounding plants, but it wasn’t the only one looking around.
Visiting scientists noticed the patterned animal — and discovered a new species.
A team of researchers visited Maoershan National Natural Reserve several times between 2024 and 2025 as part of a project to survey amphibians. The mountainous reserve sat within a larger biodiversity hotspot so the team hoped to find something interesting, according to a study published Oct. 20 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.
Sure enough, researchers found six vaguely familiar-looking frogs during their searches, the study said. They took a closer look at the animals and soon realized they’d discovered a new species: Gracixalus liusanjieae, or the Maoershan small tree frog.
Maoershan small tree frogs can reach about 1.5 inches in length, the study said. They have “large,” “bronze” eyes and “rounded” snouts. Their arms are “strong,” and the tips of their fingers and toes are “light yellow.”
Photos show the various brown patterns of the new species. Some frogs are lighter “beige” with distinct, darker brown markings, researchers said. Other frogs are darker chocolate brown with less distinct markings.
Maoershan small tree frogs were found in a bamboo forest at an elevation of about 5,160 feet, the study said. They start breeding in April so researchers found “eggs with gel nests … on the broken branches.”
To better observe the new species, researchers moved some egg nests into bottles as an “artificial breeding trap.” This approach gave them the opportunity to record the frog’s call and learn more about its lifestyle.
Researchers said they named the new species after Sanjie Liu, “a famous woman in Chinese ancient legend who came from Guangxi and who was known for her exceptional singing talent,” because it was found in Guangxi and has a “melodic” call.
The new species’s common name refers to the Maoershan National Natural Reserve where it was first discovered and, so far, the only place where it has been found, the study said. The reserve is on Mao’er Mountain in Guangxi, a region of southeastern China bordering Vietnam.
Maoershan small tree frogs were identified by their DNA, call sound, coloring, body proportions, skin texture, finger and toe shape and other subtle physical features, the study said.
The research team included Xiangjian Wu, Yuanqiang Pan, Ju Chen, Jianping Ye, Guohua Yu and Tongxiang Zou.
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 2:16 PM with the headline "‘Strong’-armed creature with yellow fingertips found on peak. It’s a new species."
