Wrebekk, wrebekk …
Meet Litoria lubisi, a new frog species discovered in the sago – or palm – forests of Mimika Regency, Papua, Indonesia.
After 15 years of study and research, the discovery was certified and officially published in the international journal Zootaxa this year. PT Freeport Indonesia supported the work in partnership with The Indonesian Institute of Sciences and the South Australian Museum.
The species is a type of green tree frog, a member of the Litoria infratrenata family and named after Dr. Rusdian Lubis, who previously was PTFI’s Senior Vice President for Work Environment and Safety.
The frog grows to nearly 3 inches long and exhibits characteristics of other Lowlands frogs: a wide mouth and 10 small teeth.
And, because the language of its country is Bahasa Indonesia, its croak goes “wrebekk, wrebekk” rather than ribbit, ribbit.
Biodiversity research has been conducted near PTFI since 1997, with many new plant and animal species identified over the years.