SCIENTISTS have discovered a tiny new species of frog the size of a 5p coin – and it is already critically endangered.

The miniature stump-toed Stumpffia Froschaueri is found only in Madagascar, and was discovered in the north-west of the island on an expedition involving a University of Brighton scientist.

The 1cm amphibian differs from all others in colour and body make-up.

Dr Samuel Penny, lecturer in the University of Brighton’s School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, was part of the Madagascan research trip and has just had a paper on the discovery published.

He said: “It’s amazing to find a completely new variety of frog, but it’s worrying to know they are already threatened with extinction.”

The species has only been found in three woodland patches, which scientists say are severely threatened by fire, drought and forest clearance.

The frog, pictured right, inhabits the leaf litter in these relatively undisturbed forests but habitat loss across its limited range suggests it should qualify as critically endangered and meet the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list criteria.

Dr Penny explained the species’ name honours Christoph Froschauer, a renowned Renaissance printer whose family name means “the man from the floodplain full of frogs”.

Froschauer used to sign his books with a woodcut showing frogs under a tree.