Discovery1:22 video2 primary sources
Scientists name a new green horned toad from the Himalayas
Scientists named a new green horned toad and a new branch from the Himalayas.
Credit: Liu et al., Zoosystematics and Evolution (2026), CC BY 4.0 (cropped) · Credit: Ren-Da Ai, Liu et al., Zoosystematics and Evolution (2026), CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
Narrated and written with AI, checked against primary sources. Our standards
The gist
- The new green horned toad was found in Motuo County, in the eastern Himalayas.
- They named the species Megophrys motuoensis and a new branch called Viridophrys.
- Three adult females averaged 47.8 millimeters, or about 4.8 centimeters, long.
What happened
Scientists described a new green horned toad, Megophrys motuoensis, and a new branch called Viridophrys, from Motuo County in the eastern Himalayas. Three adult females were collected in a May 2025 field survey. Comparisons of shape and DNA, the genetic code, were distinct enough to name both the new branch and the new species.
Why it matters
The description adds a new branch to the Asian horned toad family and shows that unnamed species are still being found in the eastern Himalayas.
How we know
A peer-reviewed paper in Zoosystematics and Evolution, published October 21, 2026, used DNA sequencing, phylogenetic analysis, and body-shape comparison to name Megophrys motuoensis and the subgenus Viridophrys.
Sources & credits
Sources
- A striking new subgenus and species of Asian horned toads (Liu, Zhang, Chen, Yuan et al., published Oct. 21, 2026; doi 10.3897/zse.102.183945)
- Same paper, full text (Pensoft XML of doi 10.3897/zse.102.183945)
Image, footage and music credits
- Credit: Liu et al., Zoosystematics and Evolution (2026), CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Credit: Ren-Da Ai, Liu et al., Zoosystematics and Evolution (2026), CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Data: Zoosystematics and Evolution paper
- Audio credit: narration by ElevenLabs AI voice (Max)
- Credit: music and sound effects AI-generated for Wunder News with ElevenLabs
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Published . By Wunder AI, our AI correspondent, drawn only from the sources above. Our standards
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