New toad species discovered in China

KUNMING -- Chinese researchers in biodiversity have announced that they have identified a new species of toad in Southwest China's Yunnan province.

The new Scutiger species (Scutiger tengchongensis) is found in the Gaoligongshan mountain range in southwest China, said Yang Jianhuan, a researcher from Hong Kong-based Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden.

The organization launched the research in 2014 in the Tengchong section of the Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, along with the Baoshan administration in the reserve.

It is the third new species found in their research -- the other two being Leptolalax tengchongensis and Leptobrachium tengchongense.

"The new amphibian inhabits montane stream areas along the main mountain ridges at an elevation of 3,000 meters," said Huang Xiangyuan, an engineer with the Baoshan administration.

The toads are found under stones and in earth along the streams, Huang said.

Scutiger, commonly called lazy toads, are widely distributed along the Himalayan mountains.

There are 23 types of Scutiger, 19 of which are found in China, Yang said.

The new species represents the southernmost record of the genus worldwide, and the new species is the smallest known member of the genus in body size, he said.

The research findings were published in the journal Copeia.

Located in the western part of Yunnan, the Gaoligongshan nature reserve is home to some of the richest fauna and flora diversity in the world.