Costa Rica's newly discovered "coffee frog" faces risks from farm pesticides

A tiny greenish, nocturnal frog that thrives in coffee plantations was discovered in Costa Rica's central Pacific region, where it also faces risks from agrochemicals used in farming.Measuring less than 4 centimeters and known as the "spring frog," AFP reporters observed the dark green-spotted amphibians in San Lorenzo de Tarrazu."It's a new species of tree frog for science and endemic to Costa Rica," researcher Wagner Chaves-Acuna told AFP, per the findings of colleagues from the University of Costa Rica and Argentina's National Council for Scientific and Technical Research. View of a "Rana de las nacientes" (Isthmohyla nacientes), a newly discovered frog species, in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Aug. 6, 2026. Ezequiel BECERRA /AFP via Getty Images The tiny frog was first observed in the 1960s, but it was incorrectly identified as another species, according to Costa Rica's National Alliance for the Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles (ANCAR). It was rediscovered and confirmed in 2021 through genetic and morphological studies, the organization said.Also nicknamed the "coffee frog," the species has another distinctive trait: males have a translucent throat that inflates with their sh...