A new species of cascade frog has been discovered on the Adi hills in Arunachal Pradesh by a team of researchers from the University of Delhi along with biologists from the Wildlife Institute of India and North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, USA. The frog has been named, Adi Cascade Frog (Amolops adicola) after the indigenous Adi tribe and the hills they inhabit. The discovery was made while investigating a group of medium- to large-sized Cascade frogs, scientifically known as Amolops, from the North-East for more than five years. The identification of the new species is based on multiple criteria, including “external morphology, DNA, and calling pattern”.
Significance of the Discovery
The study has resolved the century-old taxonomic confusions regarding the identity of another cascade frog species, Amolops monticola, discovered from the Sikkim Himalayas 150 years ago. Many important implications will be achieved through these discoveries, particularly on the taxonomy and geographical distribution of other members of the same group, found in India and the adjoining parts of China.
As per Professor S.D. Biju from University of Delhi, the study testifies that little is known about the most threatened animal groups, frogs, in the North-East. Reportedly, there are many frogs in this region, but they are confined to the relatively small geographical ranges. Therefore, they require special attention for conservation to avoid their extinction. The North-East is a treasure house of species still unknown to science.
About the Frog
Cascade frogs are named so because of their preference of small waterfalls or cascades in flowing hill streams. It is one of the largest groups belonging to family Ranidae with presently 73 known species. They are largely found in the Northeast, North India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, through Indochina, and the Malaya Peninsula.
The findings were published in the Journal of Natural History, on August 6, 2021, in a scientific article, viz., Phylogenetic position of the poorly known montane cascade frog Amolops monticola (Ranidae) and description of a new closely related species from Northeast India.
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