Seven new Madagascar diamond frog species discovered, most already threatened
An international team led by the Natural History Museum of Denmark has described seven new species of Madagascar's elusive diamond frogs after a 12-year study combining museum DNA with field research. The revision found that 24 of the 27 known species are now threatened, two critically.
Scientists have described seven new species of Madagascar's elusive diamond frogs (genus Rhombophryne) after a 12-year taxonomic revision led by Dr. Mark Scherz of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen. The team combined DNA sequencing from century-old museum specimens (museomics) with fresh field samples, skeletal scans and frog call recordings to resolve identities that had been confused for decades. The revision brings the known Rhombophryne total to 27 species, and the same research assessed conservation status: 24 of the 27 species are now considered threatened, with two likely Critically Endangered. The findings are already informing Madagascar's Biodiversity 30x30 protected-area planning. Sources: University of Copenhagen press release (ScienceDaily, EurekAlert), independent reporting by Earth.com, published in the journal Vertebrate Zoology (DOI 10.3897/vz.76.e172567).