Common Name: Thao’s Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Zhangixalus thaoae
Family: Rhacophoridae – Asian Tree Frog family
Location: Vietnam, possibly China
Size: 1.26 inches (32.2 mm)
The Thao’s Tree Frog is a recently discovered frog from the Lao Cai Province of northwestern Vietnam. Researchers found the frogs a couple feet above the ground on some branches in an evergreen forest. Only males of the species have been observed / collected.
The species was named for the wife of the lead researcher of the study, Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao. Without her love and support, he wouldn’t have been able to find the species. How sweet, unlike naming every species after David Attenborough.
Due to the species being new, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List has not assessed the Thao’s Tree Frog yet. Researchers who discovered the frog didn’t think there was enough data to give a good suggestion for what the frog should be assessed as so they said it should be Data Deficient.
You can read the research paper at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/379681873_Zhangixalus_thaoae_sp_nov_a_new_green_treefrog_species_from_Vietnam_Anura_Rhacophoridae
