that will maintain a list of lost species — compiled by amphibian
experts, as a means of targeting searches and highlighting searches and rediscoveries. Species in this list will be those considered
Possibly Extinct by the IUCN, but also those species that you feel
deserve to be included. This updated list can now be found and
downloaded from our web site at http://www.amphibians.org/ourwork/lostfrogs/lost-frogs-list/ and a summerized version can also
been seen at the end of this article. We realize that this list is not
comprehensive but rely on the community to provide us with suitable nominees to include, if you therefore feel a species is missing
from the list or should not be included then please contact Robin
Moore. The long term plan is to publish a full list of “lost” amphibian species every year, updating it to take account of rediscoveries,
changes in Red List criteria and adding new species as necessary.
We also plan to maintain the “Top Ten” and update it on an annual
basis or as needed. Lists such as this are always a tightrope walk
EHWZHHQVFLHQWL¿FYDOXHDQGSXEOLFDSSHDODQGZHIXOO\UHFRJQL]H
the subjectivity in this list. However, it is purely intended as a way
to bring people in and make the campaign appealing outside of the
community who already cares about amphibians. I believe this is
very important if we want to garner support for our work. People
like digestible lists and we see this as a platform to feature some
of the more unusual or iconic species — in addition to species that
are in areas that don’t typically receive a lot of attention. We will,
however, also feature species that are not on this list and searches
for any species considered lost.
A Tiny Lost Shrub Frog Species Found After 100 Years!
By Madhava Meegaskumbura, Kelum Manamendra-­Arachchi, Gayan Bowatte, & Suyama Meegaskumbura
A group of scientists from the Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya have rediscovered a tiny frog species that was thought to have
been lost, for nearly hundred years.
Pseudophilautus semiruber (Tiny-red shrub-frog) is one of the smallest frog species in the world. So far, out of the total of 5000 plus species
of frogs in the world, only 46 species smaller than 15 mm are known,
which are referred to as diminutive species. These species are so small
WKDWWKH\FDQUHVWFRPIRUWDEO\RQWKHWLSRI\RXUVPDOO¿QJHU:LWKWKH
new discovery, Sri Lanka has three such extant species (P. simba and
P. tanu, in addition to P. semiruber).
N. Annandale in 1911, found a 12 mm long individual, of a nondescript
sex, from Pattipola, at an elevation of 1850 m above sea level. It was
formerly described in 1913, using only this single specimen. For the
next 95 years nobody ever saw this species again. But in 2005, a single
female was discovered by Madhava Meegaskumbura and Mohomed
Bahir, from amongst the wet leaf litter, under the cover of a misty
montane forest canopy, from a small forest reserve (Agra-Bopath)
close to the Horton Plains National Park.
This specimen was subjected to rigorous scrutiny, using both morphology and molecular techniques to determine its systematic relationships. Its morphology was compared to P. simba, from Rakwana
Hills (Morningside Estate) and the Knuckles Forest Reserve, and to
the 1913 description of Annandale. The rediscovery was announced
and a new description was presented in the March 2012 issue of the
journal ZOOTAXA.
The specimen described by Annandale in 1913 had been deposited in
the collection of the Zoological Survey of India in Kolkata under the
UHIHUHQFHQXPEHU=6,&7KLVVSHFLPHQKRZHYHUZDVFRQ¿UPHG
lost in 2001 and since 2005, the species has been registered as Incerte
sedis XQFHUWDLQWD[RQRPLFSRVLWLRQDQGFODVVL¿HGDV'DWD'H¿FLHQW
Recent rediscovery. A group of scientists from the Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya have rediscovered Pseudophilautus semiruber (﴾Tiny-­red shrub-­frog)﴿, one of the smallest frog species in the world that had not been seen for almost 100 years.
on the IUCN Red List. The specimen collected in 2005 by us now remains the only reference material available for this species.
Now that we know that this species, tethering at the edge of extinction, still survives, immediate conservation measures should be taken
to save this little red frog species.
The Department of Wildlife Conservation, and Forest Department of
Sri Lanka and kindly acknowledged for permission to carryout this
work. Christopher J. Schneider (Boston University), James Hanken
(Harvard University), Rohan Pethiyagoda (Australian Museum), Don
Church (GWC), James Lewis, and Robin Moore (IUCN SSC ASG) are
profusely thanked for their support.
For more details, please see: web.mac.com/madhavameegaskumbura
FrogLog Vol. 101 | March 2012 | 5