©Michele Menegon

Scientists have uncovered three new toad species that have been hiding in plain sight. These hauntingly beautiful tree toads from Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains have an unusual way of reproducing. Unlike many other frogs and toads, they give birth to live young rather than lay eggs. A description of the three latest additions has been published in the journal Vertebrate Zoology opens in a new window. They are now called Nectophrynoides saliensis, Nectophrynoides uhehe and Nectophrynoides luhomeroensis. All frogs in this genus were originally thought to belong to a single species first described from Tanzania’s Southern Highlands in 1905. But cutting-edge genomic sampling has helped reveal that there are actually multiple species. …Scientists now believe that skipping the tadpole phase enables these frogs to reproduce away from water. Each new species of Nectophrynoides has since been found to share this live-bearing strategy.