New Leopard Frog Species Found in New York City Area

Scientists have identified a new species of leopard frog in and around New York City. The frog was found hiding in plain sight on Staten Island.

The New York Times (http://nyti.ms/zI0tBt ) reports the find is surprising because the frog was discovered in one of the world's most populated urban areas.

Researchers say the new frog species was confused for a long time with a frog it closely resembles, the southern leopard frog. The leopard frogs in the region were noted as having a croak that was quite distinct from those of the two species that inhabit the northern and southern parts of the East Coast. (A researcher involved in the finding described the other species as having a “long snore” or a “rapid chuckle.”) Speculation had focused on the possibility that the New York frogs were a hybrid of the two species, but molecular evidence shows that they are distant from both.

Although New York City has probably not been especially kind to the frogs — any appropriate habitat for them in Manhattan is probably long gone — they still survive in a number of areas nearby, including New Jersey, Staten Island, and the Bronx. The researchers suggest that their range is probably centered on Yankee Stadium. Given the molecular evidence, the team that found the species (which has members in New Jersey, Alabama, and California) are now going back to study it more closely so that they can give it a formal description.

Jeremy Feinberg also found specimens in parts of New Jersey and to counties north of New York City, all within commuting distance of Manhattan.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/03/new-frog-species-nyc/
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/03/15/new-frog-species-found-nyc-area.html