Scientists have newly described three extraordinary species of tree toad that leapfrog over the egg-to-tadpole stage. The females give birth on land to dozens of toadlets, each measuring just a few millimeters long.
Live birth, or skipping the egg-laying and larva stage, is extremely rare in amphibians. Among more than 4,000 species of frogs and toads, fewer than 1% are viviparous, or bear live young. This strategy may have evolved as an adaptation in habitats lacking easy access to water where frogs and toads typically lay their eggs, the study authors reported.
“Describing these new species that give birth to live young is fascinating and helps us understand the evolutionary flexibility of amphibians, one of the most diverse and ecologically sensitive groups of vertebrates,” said Dr. Diego José Santana, curator of amphibians and a conservation ecologist at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History. He was not involved in the new research.
The three varieties of tree toad from Tanzania were previously classified as one species: Nectophrynoides viviparus.
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