‘Large’ creature with spines on its belly found in stream. It’s a new species
As darkness settled across southern China, a “large” creature with spines on its belly sat in a stream. Its multicolored eyes searched the nearby forest, but it wasn’t the only one looking around.
Visiting scientists noticed the “robust” animal — and discovered a new species.
A team of researchers hiked into the forest of Yunnan province in March as part of an ongoing effort to survey the region’s biodiversity, according to a study published Oct. 1 in the peer-reviewed journal Raffles Bulletin of Zoology.
During their nighttime search, researchers found three vaguely unfamiliar-looking frogs in a stream, the study said. Intrigued, they examined the frogs, tracked down a few matching frogs from Vietnam and compared the specimens to other known species.
Researchers soon realized they’d discovered a new species: Quasipaa phamanhi, or Pham Anh’s spiny frog.
Pham Anh’s spiny frogs are considered “large,” reaching just over 4 inches in length, the study said. They have “robust” bodies with a “large” head, “stout” arms and “moderately long” legs. Their “large” eyes have “diamond”-shaped pupils with “copper on (the) upper half and greyish on (the) lower half.”
Photos shared by Novataxa in an Oct. 7 Facebook post show the yellow-brown coloring of the new species and its textured skin.
Male and female Pham Anh’s spiny frogs vary slightly, researchers said. Males frogs have thicker arms and bumps on their belly each “with one black spine,” while female frogs have “delicate” arms and no breeding-related spines.
Pham Anh’s spiny frogs were found at night “in a small stream” and “on the ground of a stream bank” in forests, the study said. Much about their lifestyle and behavior remains unknown.
Researchers said they named the new species after Pham Van Anh, an associate professor with Vietnam National University, in honor of “his contributions to herpetological research in Vietnam.”
So far, Pham Anh’s spiny frogs have been found in Yunnan province, China, and Phu Tho province, Vietnam, the study said. These regions are both near the China-Vietnam border but not adjacent to each other. Researchers suggested further surveys to evaluate the new species distribution and population size.
The new species was identified by its coloring, skin texture, spines, eye coloring, body proportions and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 3% genetic divergence from related species.
The research team included Shuo Liu, Meibo Zhu, Cuong The Pham, Chung Van Hoang, Truong Quang Nguyen, Duong Xuan Vu, Mian Hou, Mingzhong Mo and Dingqi Rao.
This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 10:41 AM with the headline "‘Large’ creature with spines on its belly found in stream. It’s a new species."
