New Species of Flying Frog Discovered in Vietnam

A new species of flying frog has been discovered in the lowland forests of southern Vietnam.

Australian biologist Jodi Rowley and her colleagues from Vietnam found the new frog species while carrying out an amphibian survey between two patches of a low-lying forest surrounded by agricultural land. The forest is located just 56 miles from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

The huge frog was found sitting on a log on the side of the path, reports Reuters. The research team was really surprised to discover a frog at a location that is close to one of Southeast Asia's busiest cities, which accommodates over nine million people.

The frog was first discovered in 2009, but it had taken three years for researchers to confirm it as a new species.

"It's an amazingly surprising discovery so close to such a big city for such a big, charismatic frog," Rowley told Cosmos.

"When I first saw it, I thought it was a [flying frog] species that had already been described, called Rhacophorus kio," she said.

The four-inch long, bright green frog is named Helen's Tree Frog (Rhacophorus helenae), after Rowley's mother.

The frog has a white belly and possesses large hands and feet that are fully webbed.

Although the term "flying frog" is used to identify frogs of the genus Rhacophorus, Helen's Tree Frog belongs to a group of frogs that has the ability to glide, according to a report by the Australian Museum.

Rowley pointed out that the discovery of the new frog species in forests close to a city emphasizes the need to protect the lowland forests.