Jakarta (ANTARA) - A team from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) led by researcher Amir Hamidy has identified two frog species in Sumatra, namely South-Sumatra Horned Frog (Megophrys selatanensis) and Aceh Horned Frog (Megophrys acehensis).
"Each species of Megophrys in Sumatra possibly has limited distribution," Hamidy noted in a written statement received by ANTARA here on Monday.
He highlighted that out of the five species seen in Sumatra, four are endemic.
In addition to being endemic, Megophrys is found in highlands and lowland forests, he informed.
According to Hamidy, the conversion of forest habitats into palm oil plantations and farming land is the biggest threat to the existence of the species.
Moreover, frogs from the Megophrys genus have a faint morphological diversity, he said.
The two new Megophrys species were successfully identified based on a taxonomy status evaluation by utilizing molecular and morphological data, he informed.
The researcher said that while carrying out a herpetofauna survey across the Barisan Mountains, Sumatra, he found the South Sumatra Megophrys population with smooth back skin that is morphologically similar to M. montana from Java.
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In addition, he also found a population with back skin that resembles M. parallela from North Sumatra.
Hamidy said he worked with his collaborators Kanto Nishikawa from Kyoto University, Japan, and Eric N. Smith from the University of Texas at Arlington, US, in identifying the new species.
One of the team members who identified the species, Misbahul Munir, who was also the first to report the findings, noted that the horned frog has a unique characteristic—the tip of its head and its eyelid resemble a horn.
The Megophrys also has another unique trait: its mouth is modified to resemble a wide cone-shaped structure, Munir said.
Currently, there are 13 Megophrys species that are known to be located in Southeast Asia, specifically in Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, and the Philippines, he said.
Kalimantan has a record six species located on the island, he added.
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