Scientists have discovered three new species of tiny frogs, with total body lengths of just around 20 mm, in Papua New Guinea.
The three new species Oreophryne cameroni, Oreophryne parkopanorum and Oreophryne gagneorum are all rather minute.
These tiny frogs, however are still substantially larger than the species that claimed the world's smallest frog prize in 2011 - Paedophryne dekot and Paedophryne verrucosa.
The frogs are only half of the length of the three new additions to the frog diversity of Papua New Guinea, with an astonishingly small body size ranging between 8-9 mm.
The new species are described by Dr Fred Kraus, University of Michigan, in the journal Zookeys.
The subfamily to which the new species belong is largely restricted to New Guinea and its satellite islands. Of the constituent genera, Oreophryne is presently one of the largest within the Papuan Region.
"Although the description of the new species treated herein now brings to seven the number of Oreophryne species reported from the north-coast region of New Guinea, the presence from these areas of additional specimens of uncertain identity suggests that additional species likely await description," said Kraus about the diversity of the genus within the region.
"I have at least a dozen more new Oreophryne species remaining to be described from this region, and large portions of this terrane system remain unsurveyed," Kraus said.
