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Three new cascade frog species found in northeast India
Scientists have discovered three new species of cascade frogs from the forests of northeast India after over 15 years of field research. The findings, published in the Bulletin of the Museum of…
The Story in Brief
Scientists have discovered three new species of cascade frogs from the forests of northeast India after over 15 years of field research. The findings, published in the Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, were led by Prof. S. D. Biju of Delhi University. The newly identified species are Ammachi's Cascade Frog (Amolops ammachi) from Tripura's Jampui Hills, named after Kerala social worker Padmini Varkey; Sendenyu Cascade Frog (Amolops sendenyu) from Nagaland; and Beautiful Cascade Frog (Amolops bella) from West Bengal.
The study also documented five cascade frog species recorded in India for the first time. Using DNA analyses and morphological comparisons, researchers confirmed these populations were previously unknown to science. The research covered over 300 geographic populations of frogs living in fast-flowing forest streams. DNA dating suggests the frogs diversified around 32 million years ago during the Eocene-Oligocene transition, with early Himalayan uplift shaping their distribution.
The Indian Opinion
Don't mistake this for just another frog discovery. The 15-year study quietly exposes how little we still know about India's biodiversity, especially the northeast's forests. While governments push development agendas there, taxonomists are still finding species unknown to science. The question is not whether more creatures await discovery, but how many will vanish before we name them. The test will be whether these new frogs get legal protection or remain mere footnotes in a gazette.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
