{"data":{"id":2285,"lang":"en","title":"Seven New Diamond Frog Species Discovered Hiding in Madagascar's Leaf Litter","summary":"A 12-year study using DNA from century-old museum specimens has uncovered seven new diamond frog species in Madagascar, raising conservation stakes for the island's hidden amphibian diversity.","category":"science","category_label":"Science","published_at":"2026-08-31T02:01:47Z","updated_at":"2026-08-31T02:01:47Z","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/2285-seven-new-diamond-frog-species-discovered-hiding-in-madagascar-s-leaf-litter","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/2285?lang=en","markdown_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/2285.md?lang=en","image_url":"https://www.sciencedaily.com/images/1920/diamond-frog-rhombophryne-mavokely.webp","word_count":185,"reading_time_minutes":1,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260828082347.htm","domain":"sciencedaily.com"},{"url":"https://phys.org/news/2026-08-diamond-frog-species-reveal-madagascar.html","domain":"phys.org"}],"translation":{"lang":"cs","id":2358,"title":"Sedm nových druhů diamantových žab objeveno skryto v listí na Madagaskaru","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2358-sedm-novych-druhu-diamantovych-zab-objeveno-skryto-v-listi-na-madagaskaru","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/2358?lang=cs"},"content":"An international team led by Dr. Mark D. Scherz of the Natural History Museum Denmark has identified seven previously unknown species of diamond frog (genus Rhombophryne) in Madagascar, bringing the total number of known species in the genus to 27. The frogs spend most of their lives hidden beneath forest leaf litter, and even when they emerge, closely related species can look nearly identical.\n\nThe 12-year research effort combined field expeditions with museomics, the sequencing of DNA from century-old museum specimens, alongside skeletal micro-CT scans and analysis of frog calls. This approach finally allowed researchers to match confusing historical species names to the correct genetic lineages, resolving decades of taxonomic uncertainty. \"Diamond frogs have been hiding their diversity beneath our feet,\" Scherz said. \"Many species spend most of their lives beneath the leaf litter, and even when they emerge they can look deceptively similar.\"\n\nThe findings, published August 3 in the journal Vertebrate Zoology, are already informing conservation policy: they directly shaped protected-area expansion proposals under Madagascar's Biodiversity 30x30 Program earlier this year. Researchers say further undescribed species likely remain hidden in the island's forests."}}