31 Species Named9 Frogs4 Lizards13 Snakes5 Other

A thin, grayish-yellow sponge from a sea cave on Vancouver Island, stiffened by the smallest sponge spicules known when it was described.

Named

1989

Where

Bamfield, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

Authors

Reiswig & Kaiser, 1989

Photo: from Reiswig & Kaiser 1989, Canadian Journal of Zoology

A tiny roundworm from the gut of Martinique's copper-eyed frog. Its males' mating spicules are the longest in the genus.

Named

1994

Where

Martinique, French Antilles (in the frog Colostethus chalcopis)

Authors

Moravec & Kaiser, 1994

Drawing: F. Moravec, from Moravec & Kaiser 1994, Parasitology Research

The 'amphibian-loving' worm, found in a cyst by a frog's liver on La Désirade. It was the first of its genus known from an amphibian.

Named

1994

Where

La Désirade, French Antilles (in the frog Eleutherodactylus martinicensis)

Authors

Moravec & Kaiser, 1994

Drawing: F. Moravec, from Moravec & Kaiser 1994, Journal of Parasitology

Martinique rocket frog

A tiny copper-eyed frog, under 2 cm long, from Montagne Pelée on Martinique. It is now called Allobates chalcopis and is the only dendrobatid native to an oceanic island.

Named

1994 as Colostethus chalcopis

Where

Near Morne Rouge, Martinique, French Antilles

Authors

Kaiser, Coloma & Gray, 1994

Photo: from Kaiser, Coloma & Gray 1994, Herpetologica

Dominica whistling frog (gounouj)

Dominica's big mountain whistling frog. It is brown by day and orange by night, and its large females are the 'ample nymphs' of its name.

Named

1994

Where

Near Freshwater Lake, Dominica, West Indies

Authors

Kaiser, Green & Schmid, 1994

Photo: Robert Powell, from Carter, Kaiser & Powell 2010, Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles

A lungworm of Tobago's forest frogs. It was the first adult Rhabdias known from the Caribbean whistling frogs and their relatives.

Named

1995

Where

Roxborough–Bloody Bay Road, Tobago

Authors

Moravec & Kaiser, 1995

Drawing: F. Moravec, from Moravec & Kaiser 1995, Caribbean Journal of Science

A very small gut worm from the St. Vincent frog on La Soufrière volcano, named for its unusually short spicules.

Named

1995

Where

Soufrière volcano, St. Vincent, West Indies

Authors

Moravec & Kaiser, 1995

Drawing: F. Moravec, from Moravec & Kaiser 1995, Caribbean Journal of Science

Charlotteville robber frog

A forest frog found only on Tobago, now called Pristimantis charlottevillensis. It is named after the friendly town of Charlotteville.

Named

1995 as Eleutherodactylus charlottevillensis

Where

Roxborough–Bloody Bay Road, Tobago, West Indies

Authors

Kaiser, Dwyer, Feichtinger & Schmid, 1995

Photo: from Kaiser, Dwyer, Feichtinger & Schmid 1995, Herpetological Natural History

A small, dark, cream-banded burrowing reed snake known only from Pulau Tioman, Malaysia, first found in a pitfall trap in 2002.

Named

2004

Where

Pulau Tioman, Pahang, Malaysia

Authors

Grismer, Kaiser & Yaakob, 2004

Photo: from Grismer et al. 2004, Asiatic Herpetological Research

Caribbean nurse frog

A tiny brown cloud-forest frog from Venezuela's Península de Paria, now called Allobates caribe, known from just three females.

Named

2006 as Colostethus caribe

Where

Península de Paria, Venezuela

Authors

Barrio-Amorós, Rivas & Kaiser, 2006

Photo: from Barrio-Amorós, Rivas & Kaiser 2006, Journal of Herpetology

Sukur Four-toed Skink

A small four-toed skink known only from tiny Pulau Sukur off Flores, described from museum specimens collected in 1908.

Named

2014

Where

Pulau Sukur, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia

Authors

Zug & Kaiser, 2014

Smith's Hidden Bent-toed Gecko

A tiny bent-toed gecko from West Timor that hid unrecognised in a London museum jar for 90 years.

Named

2014

Where

West Timor, Indonesia

Authors

Kathriner, Bauer, O’Shea, Sanchez & Kaiser, 2014

Photo: from Rösler & Kaiser 2016, Spixiana (male specimen collected in 1911, Zoologische Staatssammlung München)

Paria cloud forest landfrog

The most common of Paria's five new rain frogs. Its males start clicking calls at dusk in the cloud forest of Cerro El Humo.

Named

2015

Where

Península de Paria, Venezuela

Authors

Kaiser, Barrio-Amorós, Rivas, Steinlein & Schmid, 2015

Photo: Hinrich Kaiser, from Kaiser et al. 2015, Journal of Threatened Taxa (CC BY 4.0)

Hoogmoed's red-eyed landfrog

A large, red-eyed rain frog that lives on rock walls by waterfalls in Venezuela's Paria cloud forest. Males guard eggs hidden in roots.

Named

2015

Where

Península de Paria, Venezuela

Authors

Kaiser, Barrio-Amorós, Rivas, Steinlein & Schmid, 2015

Photo: Hinrich Kaiser, from Kaiser et al. 2015, Journal of Threatened Taxa (CC BY 4.0)

Paria twin landfrog

A small bromeliad-dwelling rain frog from Paria, Venezuela, named 'twin' for its close resemblance to Trinidad's Pristimantis urichi.

Named

2015

Where

Península de Paria, Venezuela

Authors

Kaiser, Barrio-Amorós, Rivas, Steinlein & Schmid, 2015

Photo: Hinrich Kaiser, from Kaiser et al. 2015, Journal of Threatened Taxa (CC BY 4.0)

Long-bodied Paria landfrog

Known from a single long-bodied, short-legged male found on Cerro El Humo, Venezuela, and first mistaken for a different species.

Named

2015

Where

Península de Paria, Venezuela

Authors

Kaiser, Barrio-Amorós, Rivas, Steinlein & Schmid, 2015

Photo: Hinrich Kaiser, from Kaiser et al. 2015, Journal of Threatened Taxa (CC BY 4.0) (preserved holotype)

Paria dwarf landfrog

Possibly Venezuela's smallest frog: the only preserved specimen, caught in 1978, is just 13 millimetres long.

Named

2015

Where

Península de Paria, Venezuela

Authors

Kaiser, Barrio-Amorós, Rivas, Steinlein & Schmid, 2015

Photo: Mayke De Freitas, from Kaiser et al. 2015, Journal of Threatened Taxa (CC BY 4.0)

Star Mountains Worm-eating Snake

The largest worm-eating snake, over a metre long and golden yellow in life; its first specimen sat mislabelled in a Harvard jar for 45 years.

Named

2015

Where

Star Mountains, Western Province, Papua New Guinea

Authors

O’Shea, Parker & Kaiser, 2015

Photo: Blaise Paivu, from O'Shea, Herlihy, Paivu, Parker, Richards & Kaiser 2018, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation

Klakah Bent-toed Gecko

A bent-toed gecko from Klakah in East Java, described from specimens collected around 1928; now considered the same species as Cyrtodactylus petani.

Named

2016 as Cyrtodactylus klakahensis

Where

Jawa Timur Province, Java, Indonesia

Authors

Hartmann, Mecke, Kieckbusch, Mader & Kaiser, 2016

Photo: from Hartmann et al. 2016, Zootaxa (holotype, SMF 22476)

A burrowing pipesnake from Central Java, named for the small extra scale beneath its eye that no other pipesnake has.

Named

2016

Where

South coast of Jawa Tengah, Java, Indonesia

Authors

Kieckbusch, Mecke, Hartmann, Ehrmantraut, O’Shea & Kaiser, 2016

Photo: Sven Mecke, from Kieckbusch et al. 2016, Zootaxa (holotype, RMNH.RENA 8785)

Tambora Bent-toed Gecko

A bent-toed gecko from the riverbanks on the slopes of Mount Tambora, the Sumbawa volcano whose 1815 eruption chilled the world.

Named

2017

Where

Lower slopes of Mount Tambora, Sumbawa, Indonesia

Authors

Riyanto, Mulyadi, McGuire, Kusrini, Febylasmia, Haidar Basyir & Kaiser, 2017

Photo: Awal Riyanto, from Riyanto et al. 2017, Zootaxa

A pipesnake from Boano Island in the Moluccas, collected in 1865 and named in 2018 for herpetologist Mark O'Shea.

Named

2018

Where

Boano Island, Maluku Province, Indonesia

Authors

Kieckbusch, Mader, Kaiser & Mecke, 2018

Photo: Sven Mecke, from Kieckbusch et al. 2018, Zootaxa (holotype, RMNH 5460, belly view)

Managalas Plateau Snake

Known from a single tiny juvenile from Papua New Guinea's Managalas Plateau, named for Bishop Museum collection technician Kathleen 'Pumehana' Imada.

Named

2018

Where

Managalas Plateau, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea

Authors

O’Shea, Allison & Kaiser, 2018

Photo: Allen Allison, from O'Shea, Allison & Kaiser 2018, Amphibia-Reptilia

Ayamaru Groundsnake

A groundsnake from the Bird's Head of West Papua, known from one specimen collected by missionaries in 1953.

Named

2019

Where

Bird’s Head Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia

Authors

Kaiser CM, O’Shea & Kaiser H, 2019

Photo: from Kaiser et al. 2019, Zootaxa (holotype, RMNH.RENA 31199)

Slowinski's Pipesnake

An iridescent pipesnake from Kachin State in northern Myanmar, named for herpetologist Joe Slowinski.

Named

2020

Where

Myanmar

Authors

Bernstein, Bauer, McGuire, Arida, Kaiser, Kieckbusch & Mecke, 2020

Photo: Justin M. Bernstein, from Bernstein et al. 2020, Zootaxa (holotype, CAS 241554)

Dark-headed Sabah Groundsnake

A dark-headed groundsnake of the cool mountain forests around Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Borneo.

Named

2020

Where

Montane Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Authors

Kaiser CM, Lapin, O’Shea & Kaiser H, 2020

Photo: Tom Charlton, from Kaiser et al. 2020, Zootaxa

Timor Groundsnake

A brown groundsnake from the last lowland coastal forest of southern Timor-Leste, unusual for being active by day.

Named

2021

Where

Coastal forests of southern Timor-Leste

Authors

Kaiser H, Kaiser CM, Mecke & O’Shea, 2021

Photo: from Kaiser et al. 2021, Zootaxa

A burrowing New Guinea snake named for the dark stripe running down the middle of its back, found from the Central Highlands east to Wau.

Named

2022

Where

Kaironk Valley, Schrader Range, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea

Authors

Kraus, Kaiser & O’Shea, 2022

Photo: Fred Parker, from Kraus, Kaiser & O'Shea 2022, Vertebrate Zoology

A worm-eating snake from the northern slopes of Papua New Guinea's Papuan Peninsula, named 'spot-snout' for the dark blotch on its snout.

Named

2022

Where

Saiko, near Garaina, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea

Authors

Kraus, Kaiser & O’Shea, 2022

Photo: Fred Parker, from Kraus, Kaiser & O'Shea 2022, Vertebrate Zoology

A black, earthworm-eating snake of Papua New Guinea's Central Highlands, often found under vegetation piles in sweet potato gardens; atratus means 'dressed in black.'

Named

2022

Where

Kundiawa, Chimbu Province, Papua New Guinea

Authors

Kraus, Kaiser & O’Shea, 2022

Photo: Nick Baker, from Kraus, Kaiser & O'Shea 2022, Vertebrate Zoology

Laca's Wormsnake

A spaghetti-thin blindsnake, only 1.7 mm wide, found in an ant nest beside the fuel depot of Dili's international airport.

Named

2023

Where

Nicolau Lobato International Airport, Dili, Timor-Leste

Authors

O’Shea, Wallach, Hsiao & Kaiser, 2023

Photo from O'Shea, Wallach, Hsiao & Kaiser 2023, Canadian Journal of Zoology