A team of researchers discovered a new species of narrow-mouthed frog that lives in the laterite rock formations around the coastal town of Manipal, Udupi District, Karnataka State in India. The frog, which is the size of a thumbnail, was named Microhyla laterite after its natural habitat. Discovered by Indian scientists and the National University of Singapore, the frog measures around 1.6 centimeters and is pale brown with prominent black markings on its back, flanks, hands and feet. Apparently, the sound of M. Laterite is similar to that of a cricket.

This animal lives in the laterite rock formations that make up the southwest Indian coastal plains, regions devoid of trees or other vegetation, which are called wastelands. The frog was spotted by independent researcher and study co-author Ramit Singal during a field survey around India’s coastal plains, as a part of his citizen science initiative “My laterite, My habitat”. He brought it to the attention of lead author Seshadri K S and his collaborators, who worked together to describe the frog.

“By naming the frog after its habitat, we hope to draw attention to the endangered rock formations that are of ecological importance. M laterite can potentially be used as a mascot to change peoples’ perception about laterite areas,” said Seshadri KS, PhD student from the department of biological sciences at NUS’s faculty of science.

To ensure the validity of the frog as a new species, Seshadri and his team members studied the genes, body structure, colouration and vocalisations of four individual frogs.

Priti Hebbar, another co-author of the team, said that the amphibian can be easily confused with other species like ‘Microhyla ornata’ that live throughout the country; however, a gene analysis confirmed that this is a new species.

“M. laterite is a distinct species and is closely related to M. sholigari, which is found only in the Western Ghats,” noted Priti Hebbar. “All three species are small and similar in appearance and only a critical examination would reveal the differences,” she added.

Based on preliminary results, the experts suggested M. laterite to be classified as Endangered in the Red List by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as the geographic range of the frog is narrow, within an area of 150 square kilometers in southwest India.

The study is published in the prestigious journal PLOS ONE.