Researchers Discover Three New Species in Australia

A leaf-tail gecko, a golden-colored skink and a boulder-dwelling frog- all new to science- were recently discovered by researchers at the James Cook University and their colleagues.

The bizarre creatures were found during an expedition to Cape York Peninsula in north-east Australia. Mountain ranges of the regions, such as Cape Melville, have remained unexplored for centuries due to presence of large boulders. In addition to the three new species, researchers have found a rare genus of vertebrates.

"Finding three new, obviously distinct vertebrates would be surprising enough in somewhere poorly explored like New Guinea, let alone in Australia, a country we think we've explored pretty well", said Dr Conrad Hoskin from James Cook University

The study team, which included National Geographic photographer/Harvard University researcher Dr Tim Laman, called Cape Melville the "Lost World" due to the presence of creatures that have evolved differently from other species.

"These species are restricted to the upland rainforest and boulder-fields of Cape Melville. They've been isolated there for millennia, evolving into distinct species in their unique rocky environment", Dr Hoskin said in a news release.

The Leaf-tailed gecko, Saltuarius eximius, is a unique type of gecko that hides in the rainforest throughout the day and emerges only during the night.

The golden-coloured skink, Saproscincus saltus, another new species, is active during the day. The skink jumps around the moss-covered boulders looking for small insects.

Another interesting species is the Blotched Boulder-frog or Cophixalus petrophilus. The frog is only found near the large boulders. During the summers, the frog stays under the large rocks.

"You might wonder how a frog's tadpoles can live in a 'hollow' boulder-field with no water sitting around." Dr Hoskin said. "The answer is that the eggs are laid in moist rock cracks and the tadpoles develop within the eggs, guarded by the male, until fully-formed froglets hatch out. As for the gecko, its eyes are very large - once again an adaptation for life in the dimly lit boulder-piles."

The study is published in the journal Zootaxa.