▁being ▁known ▁since ▁the ▁early ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁it ▁was ▁only ▁described ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 1 ▁and ▁even ▁more ▁recently ▁accepted . ▁In ▁ 1 8 9 5 , ▁O sk ar ▁Bo ett ger ▁described ▁a ▁middle - s ized ▁brown ish ▁f rog ▁species ▁from ▁the ▁Ry ū ky ū ▁Islands ▁as ▁R ana ▁ok in av ana . ▁It ▁was ▁noted ▁that ▁the ▁type ▁local ity ▁was ▁und et erm ined — per haps ▁Ok ina wa , ▁but ▁the ▁spec im ens ▁were ▁part ▁of ▁a ▁ship ment ▁from ▁an ▁animal ▁deal er , ▁not ▁supplied ▁from ▁the ▁person ▁who ▁originally ▁collected ▁them . ▁Some ▁time ▁later , ▁it ▁was ▁mentioned ▁in ▁passing ▁that ▁mid - s ized ▁brown ▁fro gs ▁were ▁definitely ▁found ▁on ▁Ok ina wa . ▁However , ▁collect ors ▁seeking ▁out ▁the ▁f rog ▁described ▁by ▁Bo ett ger ▁there ▁could ▁not ▁find ▁it ; ▁they ▁instead ▁encountered ▁that ▁animal ▁on ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁Ya ey ama ▁Islands ▁in ▁the ▁southern ▁Ry ū ky ū ▁Islands . ▁ ▁O thers ▁believed ▁that ▁the ▁brown ▁f rog ▁of ▁the ▁Ry ū ky ū s ▁occurred ▁only ▁on ▁Ok ina wa , ▁and ▁that ▁this ▁consequ ently ▁must ▁be ▁Bo ett ger ' s ▁R . ▁ok in av ana . ▁When ▁World ▁War ▁II ▁interrupted ▁further ▁research , ▁Bo ett ger ' s ▁tax on ▁was ▁firm ly ▁associated ▁with ▁the ▁Ok ina wan ▁brown ▁fro gs , ▁though ▁nobody ▁ever