Rhinella yunga is the name given to a new species of poisonous toads discovered in Peru by researchers from the Czech Republic and United States.
The newly discovered species belongs to the Bufonidae family, one of the largest toad families. It comprises of more than 30 genera with over 500 species. The Rhinella yunga species is characterized by a warty body. These toads also have a pair of large poisonous parotoid glands. The poison is secreted as a protective mechanism when the toad feels "stressed." Since these creatures are also toothless, their venom acts as a defense mechanism too.
Interestingly, these toads are one of the few species that can naturally change their gender. The male toad possesses a special organ, which after the removal of the testes becomes an active ovary, thus transforming the male into a female.
"It appears that large number of still unnamed cryptic species remains hidden under some nominal species of the Rhinella margaritifera species group," said Dr Jiří Moravec of the National Museum Prague, Czech Republic, who is the lead author of the discovery, according to Sci-News.com.
The toad, like all species belonging to the Bufonidae family has a body coloration resembling decaying leaves. Researchers find it fascinating that this species doesn't have a tympanic membrane. These hearing organs are usually visible on both sides of a toad's head.
Another interesting feature of this species is that they exist in various colors and shapes within the same species, making it difficult to use the traditional morphological methods of taxonomic research to identify the species diversity within the family, reports Eureka News Alerts.
The species gets its name from the location where it was discovered - the Peruvian Yungas which when loosely translated into English means "warm valley." Species belonging to the Bufonidae family are referred to as "true toads" because this is the only family of anurans in which all members are known as "toads". They are found in every part of the Earth except Australia and Antarctica.
Findings of the discovery were published in the online journal ZooKey.
