Nocturnal and coffee-loving new frog species discovered in Costa Rica

A new species of nocturnal tree frog, measuring less than four centimeters, has been discovered in Costa Rica's central Pacific region, thriving in the shade of coffee plantations. Researchers have nicknamed it the 'coffee frog' due to its unique habitat.

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It's a new species of tree frog for science, and endemic to Costa Rica.

The species, identified as Isthmohyla nacientes, is endemic to Costa Rica. Scientists observed its distinctive features, including dark green spots and yellowish-orange limbs. Males of the species have a translucent throat that inflates when they produce their short, high-pitched calls.

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At night, when they are most active, you can hear them singing and perched on coffee shrubs.

These frogs are most active at night, often heard singing from coffee shrubs. While they seek shade, moisture, and food within the crops, their diet consists of small insects, not coffee berries. A significant concern raised by researchers is the potential risk posed by pesticides used in coffee farming, which could contaminate the water systems where tadpoles develop.

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These poisons travel through the air...they seep through the soil and that's where they enter the aquatic systems where the tadpoles develop.