Researchers seeking frogs thought to be extinct came up empty-handed for those species but say they did find three species previously unknown to science.
A poison-secreting rocket frog species and two new toad species were discovered in a search in Colombia, the BBC reported.
The search for extinct amphibians, by Conservation International along with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, has seen expeditions mounted in 19 countries to look for 100 lost species.
So far, three “lost” species have been rediscovered — a Mexican salamander not seen since its discovery in 1941, a frog from the Ivory Coast last observed in 1967, and another frog from Democratic Republic of Congo not seen since 1979.
Scientists tempered their disappointment at not finding any examples of Colombia’s lost species with pleasure at locating three brand new ones.
A species of red-eyed toad, discovered at an altitude of 6,500 feet, evoked particular fascination.
“I have never seen a toad with such vibrant red eyes,” Robin Moore from Conservation International, who set up the rediscovery project, said. “This trait is highly unusual for amphibians, and its discovery offers us a terrific opportunity to learn more about how and why it adapted this way.”
Also found and identified were a tiny toad, less than an inch long, and a rocket frog, a member of the poison dart family, though not as poisonous as many of its cousins, researchers said.