Paedophryne

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Paedophryne
Paedophryne amauensis on a US dime
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Microhylidae
Subfamily: Asterophryinae
Genus: Paedophryne
Kraus, 2010[1]
Places where Paedophryne has been found

Paedophryne is a genus of microhylid frogs from Papua New Guinea. All six species known so far are amongst the smallest frog and vertebrate species.[2]

Paedophryne amauensis[change | change source]

Paedophryne amauensis is a recently discovered species of frog from Papua New Guinea. Only 7.7 millimetres (0.30 in) long, it is the world's smallest known vertebrate.[2][3][4]

Discovery[change | change source]

The frog species was discovered in August of 2009 by Christopher Austin when exploring Papua New Guinea.[2] The National Science Foundation sponsored the exploration.[5]

Characteristics[change | change source]

The frog is a millimeter smaller than the previous record holder for being the world's smallest vertebrate – a species of carp (Paedocypris progenetica) from Indonesia.[5][6] The frog mainly lives on land. According to its discoverers, the life cycle of the frog does not include a tadpole stage.[5]

References[change | change source]

  1. Kraus, F. (2010). "New genus of diminutive microhylid frogs from Papua New Guinea". ZooKeys (48): 39–59. doi:10.3897/zookeys.48.446. open access publication – free to read
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Rittmeyer, Eric et al. N. (2012). "Ecological guild evolution and the discovery of the world's smallest vertebrate". PLOS ONE. 7 (1): e29797. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...729797R. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029797. PMC 3256195. PMID 22253785.
  3. Black, Richard (11 January 2012). "BBC News - World's smallest frog discovered". BBC News. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
  4. World's tiniest frogs found in Papua New Guinea The Australian 12 January 2012 [1]
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 "World's smallest creature with a vertebrate named". The Telegraph. 12 January 2012. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  6. "Hallan en Papúa Nueva Guinea a las ranas más pequeñas del mundo" (in Spanish). eluniverso.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2012-01-12.