BRIN Finds New Endemic Frog Of Sulawesi Island

New type of endemic Frog Sulawesi Island. BETWEEN/HO-BRIN

JAKARTA - The research team of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) found a new brown type of frog with a roundnose on the feeling of forest leaves on Mount Mekongga, Southeast Sulawesi, at an altitude of 2,528 meters above sea level.

BRIN Auni Ade Putri's Biosystematics and Evolution Researchers say the endemic frog is named Oreophryne riyantoi. The origin of the name 'riyantoi' on the new type of frog is dedicated to a senior researcher who is currently actively researching at the BRIN Center for Biosystematics and Evolution Research, namely Awal Riyanto.

"This appreciation is given as a form of recognition for its extraordinary contribution in the field of taxonomy and conservation ofherpetofauna in Sulawesi," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, October 18.

The new type of dwarf was discovered after morphological and phylogic analysis was carried out by the biosystematics Research Center and BRIN Evolution team, namely Auni Ade Putri, Wahyu Trilaksono, Hellen Kurniati, Amir Hamidy, and the Bogor Agricultural Institute team, University of California, and the Zoolological Community of Celebes Central Sulawesi.

Dasar penemuan tompatOreophryne riyantoi didukung dari data morphologi dan analisis filaogenetic gen 16S rRNA.

The identification results say the new species was diagnosed with a round-nose on the appearance of the back and lateral, an obscure timpani membrane, narrow interorbital distance, small hands, unlabeled fingers and feet, terminal disks on small fingers and legs, very short legs, as well as surfaces of the back of the head, body, and limbs with irregular tuberkel.

"Based on an in-depth analysis and a number of other identification approaches, the team agreed and believed that this specimen was validated as a different species, and did not yet have a scientific name," said Auni.

BRIN found something interesting about the new type of frog because Oreophryne riyantoi lived in the mountainous forest.

In fact, the genus Oreophryne is usually found living in terrestrial areas, such as opennames on the highlands or highlands dominated by fern.

In the identification process, the research team examined the morphology of 50 specimens of Oreophryne Sulawesi and recognized different species that had not been described.

BRIN Biosystematics and Evolution Perset Wahyu Trilaksono has collected all specimens of Oreophryne riyantoi Gunung Mekongga, Mekongga Mountains, Wawo District, Kolaka Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, on November 20, 2011.

"Holotypes are stored at the Bogororiense Zoologicalcum Museum (MZB) of the BRIN Scientific Collection Management Directorate with the paratype of an adult male and a teenage male," Wahyu said.

The discovery of the new type of frog was published in the journal Zootaxa Volume 5353 Number 5 on October 12, 2023. Thus, there were four endemic species Oreophryne in Sulawesi.