Paedophryne amauensis

Paedophryne amauensis was discovered in August 2009 by Louisiana State University herpetologist Christopher Austin and his PhD student Eric Rittmeyer while on an expedition to explore the biodiversity of Papua New Guinea. ==Characteristics==

P. amauensis, attaining an average body size of only , However, all of these animals are measured from their head to their rump, and the measurement does not take into account body weight. The Guinness Book of World Records lists the frog's body weight at , while measurements of Schindleria brevipinguis show it to weigh less than , with one adult specimen weighing just . The frog lives on land and its life cycle does not include a tadpole stage. The skeleton is reduced and there are only seven presacral vertebrae present. They are capable of jumping thirty times their body length. The frog is crepuscular and feeds on small invertebrates. Males call for mates with a series of very high-pitched insectlike peeps at a frequency of 8400–9400 Hz. ==Habitat==

The New Guinea Amau frog occurs in tropical wet lowland and hill forest at elevations of above sea level. Due to having a high surface-to-volume ratio, the New Guinea Amau frog is subject to water loss and dependent on the high moisture content of leaf litter. Similar to all species of Paedophryne known so far, members of Paedophryne amauensis live in the leaf litter on the floors of tropical forests. ==Conservation==

P. amauensis is known from its type locality near Amau village (Central Province) and from the Variarata National Park (National Capital District), both in eastern Papua New Guinea. It is likely to have a much wider range. It is very abundant locally. As large areas of suitable habitat remain, the species is not considered to be threatened at present. ==See also==