"We have identified two new frog species and have named them L.ingeri and L.kanowitense," LIPI researcher Amir Hamidy said. The two new frog species were genetically different from other frogs in the world.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) researcher Amir Hamidy and his associates have identified two new frog species in Belitung (Indonesia) and Sarawak (Malaysia) over the 2008-12 period.
"We have identified two new frog species and have named them L.ingeri and L.kanowitense," Amir said in an email received here on Friday.
He said he and his associates from Kyoto University, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and the University of Malaya published their discovery in Zootaxa journal on July 24, 2012.
He noted that the two new frog species were genetically different from other frogs in the world. "Usually, if two frogs have more than a 3 percent difference in genetic length, they can be categorized as different species. However, in the case of L.ingeri and L.kanowitense, there is a difference of more than 9 percent," Amir pointed out.
"Morphologically, the new frog species have unique hands and feet. The position of membrane on their feet, the colour of their ears and ventral parts are all different," he added.
According to DNA tests, Amir said, the two new frog species had the same origins. "Climate change and the change in sea surface millions of years ago separated Borneo and Sumatra islands from the Asian mainland. Therefore, the isolated frog populations in the islands evolved independently," he explained.
Amir stated that L.ingeri frog could be seen both in Belitung and Sarawak, while L.kanowitense was found only in Sarawak.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
