Chinese scientists name new frog species after gongfu
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Leptobrachella kungfu is characterised by its small size, slightly webbed toes with wide edges and creamy white abdomen.
PHOTO: ZOOKEYS
Scientists have discovered a new frog species in China and named the amphibians after a city famous for gongfu.
Researchers from the Guangdong Polytechnic of Environmental Protection Engineering and the Guangdong Provincial Academy of Environmental Science discovered the frogs in the mountains around the city of Foshan in China’s Guangdong province.
The discovery was reported in peer-reviewed science journal ZooKeys on Nov 11.
The scientists named the species Leptobrachella kungfu, paying homage to Foshan’s rich cultural heritage as China’s cradle of gongfu.
The city is the ancestral home of martial arts legends such as Wong Fei Hung, Ip Man and Bruce Lee.
Leptobrachella kungfu is characterised by its small size, with the six male specimens collected ranging from 25.7mm to 28.2mm.
The frog also has a distinct black line behind its eyes, slightly webbed toes with wide edges, a creamy white abdomen and rough back skin without any larger folds.
The species was first discovered in clear-water rocky streams near Foshan’s Laoxiang mountain and is mostly found in hilly parts of the western Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, a densely populated and highly urbanised region.
“The discovery shows that even small patches of nature within big cities are crucial homes for unique species and need our protection,” team leader Lin Shishi was quoted as saying by state news agency Xinhua.
