Chinese researchers have discovered a new horned toad species in the Lianhua Mountains located in south China's Guangdong Province.
The research findings were published in a recent edition of the international academic journal Asian Herpetological Research.
The new species was discovered in high-altitude mountains in Guangdong surrounded by well-preserved subtropical evergreen broadleaf forests.
The toad, small in terms of size and featuring elongated limbs, differs significantly from known species living in the same area.
The article published by Asian Herpetological Research revealed that the new species can be distinguished from all recognized congeners by a combination of morphological characteristics and genetic divergences in the combined mitochondrial 16S, 12S and CO1 genes.