Three new species of frogs found nestled in Madagascar’s pandan trees

By Liz Kimbrough
Mongabay
February 1, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Scientists have described three new frog species that dwell exclusively in the spiky leaves of pandan trees in Madagascar’s eastern rainforests. While the frogs are new to science, locals have observed them for generations, and they’ve been given names in Malagasy. The frogs have a unique life cycle completely restricted to the trees, meaning they entirely depend entirely on intact pandan trees. Pandan trees, from the genus Pandanus, are threatened by deforestation driven by mining, agriculture and development, while slashing, burning and deforestation threaten Madagascar’s extraordinary biodiversity in general.

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