New frog species found in China

A new record of frog species was found in the city of Lishui, east China's Zhejiang Province, the municipal bureau of ecology and environment said on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

The species was named as Megophrys baishanzuensis, since it was discovered in the Baishanzu National Park in June last year during the biodiversity investigation of Lishui.

The result has been published in a recent research article in the journal ZooKeys.

Water quality of nearby rivulets and vegetation cover are particularly important to the survival of the species, said Lei Jinsong, head of the bureau.

The city conducted a comprehensive survey of biodiversity in Longquan, Qingyuan and Suichang under its jurisdiction in December 2019, as part of efforts to forge harmony between human beings and nature.

In the one-year survey, 64 macrofungi species were first found in China while 263 were first discovered in Zhejiang.

The second phase of the investigation has already started, which will cover the other regions of Lishui.

China is promoting global cooperation on biodiversity conservation, with the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to be held in Kunming, capital of the southwestern province of Yunnan, in 2021.