Researchers have discovered a new species of miniature forest frog at Mt. Guiting-Guiting Natural Park, a find that highlights the immense and often undocumented biodiversity of the Romblon Island Group.
The species, formally named Platymantis guiting, averages just 14 millimeters in length — roughly the size of a microSD card. It is only the second miniature frog of its kind ever described in the Philippines.
Filipino researchers from the University of Kansas and local institutions published their findings in the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology on 14 April 2026.
The team, led by Camila G. Meneses, Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo, Syrus Cesar P. Decena, Christian E. Supsup and Rafe M. Brown, concluded that the frog is found only on the islands of Sibuyan and Tablas.
While the frog was first observed as early as 2004, it was originally mistaken for Platymantis pygmaeus, a similar species found in Luzon.
It took nearly two decades of genetic, acoustic and physical analysis to confirm that the Romblon populations were a distinct species. Researchers noted that the two species are not closely related, describing their similarity as a case of convergent evolution.
The P. guiting is distinguished from its relatives by shorter limb proportions and a unique mating call characterized by repetitive clicking sounds.