Frog Chorus Helps Researchers Find New Species in NYC

Oct 30, 2014 06:42 AM EDT | Matt Mercuro

Scientists have discovered a new species of leopard frog in New York City and the surrounding regions.

The new species was found in a metropolitan area of the city, PLOS reported. In order to make their findings, researchers looked at acoustic and genetic data to characterize the new frog, which has been called Rana kauffeldi.

"The discovery of a new frog species from the urban Northeast is truly remarkable and completes a journey that began six years ago with a simple frog call in the wilds of New York City. This story underscores the synergy that traditional field methods and modern molecular and bioacoustic techniques can have when used together; one is really lost without the other, but together are very powerful tools," said Jeremy Feinberg from Rutgers University in a press statement.

The new species' range extends both north and south of NYC and reaches the coastal regions, according to the study. It follows a "narrow and largely coastal lowland distribution from central Connecticut to northeastern North Carolina," PLOS reported.

"This is only the third new species of frog to be discovered north of Mexico since 1986," said Feinberg, according to the BBC. "What also makes this crazy is that it's in a urban area."

Researchers believe the new species exists in primarily open-canopied wetlands and spreads through upland patches. The frog may not be known for long, since evidence suggests Rana kauffeldi is struggling with habitat loss that could threaten its existence entirely.

The study says that the new species can be discovered even in highly-documented areas and metropolitan cities around the country.

"This discovery is unexpected in one of the largest and most densely populated urban parts of the world. It also demonstrates that new vertebrate species can still be found periodically even in well-studied locales rarely associated with undocumented biodiversity," the researchers wrote in their study abstract.

The findings were published on Oct. 29, 2014 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

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