STORY: New toad species discovered in south China's Guangdong
SHOOTING TIME: March 31, 2024
DATELINE: April 2, 2024
LENGTH: 00:00:54
LOCATION: GUANGZHOU, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of researchers working in the Lianhua Mountains
2. various of the new horned toad species
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LIN SHISHI, Teacher from Guangdong Polytechnic of Environmental Protection Engineering
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LIN SHISHI, Teacher from Guangdong Polytechnic of Environmental Protection Engineering

STORYLINE:

Chinese researchers have discovered a new horned toad species, which has been named Boulenophrys elongata sp. nov., 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.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LIN SHISHI, Teacher from Guangdong Polytechnic of Environmental Protection Engineering
"Searching in this stream, walking up here, I finally found one. Above its eyes on the head, there is a part of the structure like two horns, and the shape is like a small toad."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LIN SHISHI, Teacher from Guangdong Polytechnic of Environmental Protection Engineering
"The emergence of this new species shows that the ecological environment of this region is very well protected, and only when the vegetation and water system of the whole region are protected, this new species can be found."
   
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.
   
In recent years, several new species of frogs have been discovered in major mountain areas in China. The discovery of a new toad species in the Lianhua Mountains confirmed that the region serves as a huge reservoir of animal and plant species.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Guangzhou, China.
(XHTV)