Herpetologist Maximilian Deling from the University of Koblenz-Landau (Germany) discovered a new species of tiny frogs with a very piercing voice during his research in the mountains of Rwanda from 2010 to 2018. The description of this species was published in the journal Diversity at the end of October 2023.
Maximilian Deling made his discovery in the Nyungwe forest in western Rwanda, and the new species has been named Arthroleptis nyungwensis, which translates to "Nyungwe squeaker frog." He managed to photograph six males, whose body length measures only 16–16.5 millimeters. The females of this species may be even smaller in size.
Arthroleptis nyungwensis has a slender body, long limbs, and bumpy skin that is reddish-brown with small white spots on the sides. Two yellow-orange stripes are located on the lighter belly. DNA analysis showed that Arthroleptis nyungwensis is genetically distinct from other species of squeaker frogs by at least 4.6%.
Arthroleptis nyungwensis inhabit the humid forest floor at an altitude of 1800–2200 meters above sea level. In addition to a short, piercing, monotone squeak, they are capable of producing two other types of sound signals: one expresses aggression, while the other is a mating call.
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