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1.媒體來源:
外媒 interestin gengineering
2.記者署名:
Mrigakshi Dixit
3.完整新聞標題:
6.95 mm toad: World’s second-smallest vertebrate discovered in Brazil
巴西發現全世界第二小的脊椎動物，近7mm的鼻屎大蟾蜍
4.完整新聞內文:
6.95 mm toad: World’s second-smallest vertebrate discovered in Brazil
This tiny creature, a flea toad, is so small it can fit on the tip of your
finger.
6.95毫米蟾蜍：巴西發現全世界第二小的脊椎動物
這種微小的生物，跳蚤蟾蜍，很小，可以放在你的指尖上。
Updated: Oct 30, 2024 04:28 AM EST
Mrigakshi Dixit
a day ago

Researchers have discovered the world’s second-smallest vertebrate in the
Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil.
This tiny creature, a flea toad, is so small it can fit on the tip of your
finger. Interestingly, it looks smaller than some of the known ant species.
A team of scientists from the State University of Campinas in Brazil has
recently discovered this new species, named Brachycephalus dacnis.
研究人員在巴西大西洋雨林中發現了世界第二小的脊椎動物。
這種微小的生物，跳蚤蟾蜍，很小，可以放在你的指尖上。有趣的是，它看起來比一些已
知的螞蟻種類要小。
巴西坎皮納斯州立大學的一群科學家最近發現了這個新物種，命名為Brachycephalus
dacnis。
This flea tod measures just 6.95 millimeters in length. A separate research
team had earlier identified another species within the same genus, B. pulex,
in the southern Bahia state of Brazil. One of the individuals measured a mere
6.45 mm in length.
這隻跳蚤的長度只有 6.95 毫米。一個單獨的研究小組早些時候在巴西南部巴伊亞州發現
了同一屬的另一個物種，B. pulex 。其中一個個體的長度僅為 6.45 毫米。

New miniature species on researcher’s palm (photo: Lucas Machado
Botelho/Projeto Dacnis)
研究人員手掌上的新微型物種（照片：Lucas Machado Botelho/Projeto Dacnis）
Miniature size
This marks the seventh species of flea toad to be described within the genus
Brachycephalus. The toad’s small size is an adaptation to its unique
environment.
Flea toads are tiny adults, measuring less than 1 cm. These toads are so tiny
that their adult size is significantly smaller than a typical human
fingernail or a 50-cent coin.
微型尺寸
這標誌著短頭蟾屬中第七種跳蚤蟾蜍被鑑別。蟾蜍體型較小是對其獨特環境的適應。
跳蚤蟾蜍是微小的成蟲，尺寸不到 1 公分。這些蟾蜍非常小，成年後的大小比典型的人
類指甲或 50 美分的硬幣小得多。
“There are small toads with all the characteristics of large toads except
for their size. This genus is different. During its evolution, it underwent
what we biologists call miniaturization, which involves loss, reduction
and/or fusion of bones, as well as fewer digits and absence of other parts of
their anatomy,” said Luís Felipe Toledo, corresponding author and professor
in the Institute of Biology (IB-UNICAMP).
「有些小蟾蜍除了體型不同之外，具有大蟾蜍的所有特徵。這個屬是不同的。在它的進化
過程中，它經歷了我們生物學家所說的小型化，其中包括骨骼的損失、減少和/或融合，
以及更少的手指和其他解剖部分的缺失。 IB-UNICAMP）。
Typically, this genus of toads is primarily known for its vibrant coloration
and venomous nature, particularly species like the pumpkin toadlets. However,
recent discoveries, including the newly described B. Dennis, have shifted
researchers’ attention toward the extreme miniaturization exhibited by
certain species within this genus.
通常，這種蟾蜍主要以其鮮豔的顏色和有毒的性質而聞名，特別是像南瓜蟾蜍這樣的物種
。然而，最近的發現，包括新描述的B. Dennis，已將研究人員的注意力轉向該屬內某些
物種所表現出的極端小型化。
Earlier studies have pointed out that pumpkin toadlets possess fewer
anatomical structures than flea toads despite their larger size. This
includes the absence of a tympanic middle ear, which results in their
inability to perceive their own vocalizations.
早期的研究指出，儘管南瓜蟾蜍體型較大，但其解剖結構卻比跳蚤蟾蜍少。這包括缺乏鼓
室中耳，這導致他們無法感知自己的發聲。
DNA analysis confirmed new species
The unique vocalizations of the newly described species, B. dacnis,
captivated the researchers’ attention.
The diminutive toad, with its yellowish-brown skin, resides within leaf
litter.
Despite their size, flea toads are incredibly complex creatures. It exhibits
direct development, bypassing the tadpole stage and hatching as fully formed
miniature versions of itself.
DNA分析證實新物種
新描述的物種B. dacnis的獨特發聲引起了研究人員的注意。
這種小型蟾蜍有著黃棕色的皮膚，生活在落葉中。
儘管跳蚤蟾蜍體型龐大，但它們是極為複雜的生物。它表現出直接發育，繞過蝌蚪階段並
孵化為完全成型的微型版本。
DNA analysis verified that B. dacnis is a new species in the genus. It is
closely related to another yellow-brown skin toad of the same genus B.
hermogenesi.
“There may have been specimens belonging to the new species among those that
served as a basis for describing B. hermogenesi in 1998,” Toledo said.
The researchers described the new species, including its anatomy, skeletal
structure, internal organs, genetics, and vocalizations.
DNA分析證實B. dacnis是該屬的新種。它與同屬B. Hermogenesi的另一種黃棕色皮膚蟾蜍
密切相關。
托萊多說：“在 1998 年描述B. Hermogenesi 的基礎樣本中，可能存在屬於新物種的樣
本。”
研究人員描述了這個新物種，包括其解剖學、骨骼結構、內臟、遺傳學和發聲。
“The diversity of these miniature frogs may be far greater than we think.
Hence the importance of describing as many traits and features as possible,
to expedite the description process and get to work on conservation as
quickly as possible,” Toledo said in the press release.
The findings were published in the journal PeerJ Life & Environment.
「這些微型青蛙的多樣性可能遠遠超出我們的想像。因此，盡可能多鑑別出性狀和特徵、
加快鑑別過程並儘快開展保護工作非常重要，」托萊多在新聞稿中說。
研究結果發表在《PeerJ Life & Environment》期刊。
5.完整新聞連結 (或短網址)不可用YAHOO、LINE、MSN等轉載媒體:
https://reurl.cc/93eo0X
6.備註:
原來世界上也有打不贏蟑螂的鼻屎大蟾蜍存在誒？