A tiny greenish nocturnal frog that thrives in coffee plantations has been discovered in Costa Rica’s central Pacific region, where researchers say the unusual amphibian has adapted to the plantation environment.
View of a “Rana de las nacientes” (Isthmohyla nacientes), a newly discovered frog species, in San Jose, Costa Rica, on August 6, 2026.
A tiny greenish, noctural frog that thrives in coffee plantations has been discovered in the Costa Rica’s central Pacific region, where it also faces risks from agrochemicals used in farming.
Measuring less than four 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.
Also nicknamed the ‘coffee frog,’ the species has another distinctive trait: males have a translucent throat that inflates with their short, high-pitched call
Costa Rican scientist Jonathan Navarro Picado, from the International Institute for Wildlife Conservation and Management (ICOMVIS) at the National University of Costa Rica (UNA), photographs a newly discovered frog species, the “Rana de las nacientes” (Isthmohyla nacientes) in San Jose, Costa Rica, on August 6, 2026.
“At night, when they are most active, you can hear them singing and perched on coffee shrubs,” Chaves-Acuna said.
Generally, frogs seek out shade, moisture and food in the crops — but they are not after the coffee berries, feeding instead on the small insects in the habitat.
Chaves-Acuna warns that pesticide use on coffee plantations could potentially pose a risk to these tiny amphibians.
“These poisons travel through the air…they seep through the soil and that’s where they enter the aquatic systems where the tadpoles develop,” Chaves Acuna said.
Costa Rican scientist Mailyn Urena Chaves, from the National University of Costa Rica (UNA), observes a “Rana de las nacientes” (Isthmohyla nacientes), a frog species recently discovered, in San Jose, Costa Rica, on August 6, 2026.
View of a “Rana de las nacientes” (Isthmohyla nacientes), a newly discovered frog species, in San Jose, Costa Rica, on August 6, 2026.
A tiny greenish, noctural frog that thrives in coffee plantations has been discovered in the Costa Rica’s central Pacific region, where it also faces risks from agrochemicals used in farming.
