Horned frogs discovered in North-East India
A team of Indian and Irish biologists from Delhi University, University College Dublin and the Natural History Museum (UK) have discovered three new species of horned frogs from the jungles of North-East India.
The findings, published on April 28, 2020, in the Journal of Natural History, is the result of fourteen years of research and seven years of fieldwork.
“This study is a testament to how little is known about the most threatened animal group, frogs, in northeastern India,” Stephen Mahony, the lead author of the paper, said in a statement.
“Our work has completely changed what we thought we knew about these secretive animals, from how to identify the different species and how they are related to each other, to where they live and how vulnerable they may be to deforestation,” he added.
The scientists named two of the new species using words adapted from local tribal languages at their sites of discovery.
The Naga Hills Horned Frog (Megophrys awuh), where the word “awuh” means “frog” in the Pochury language, the primary native tribe from the Melluri district of Nagaland.
The scientists named two of the new species using words adapted from local tribal languages at their sites of discovery.
The Naga Hills Horned Frog (Megophrys awuh), where the word “awuh” means “frog” in the Pochury language, the primary native tribe from the Melluri district of Nagaland.
The discovery was made when the biologists were investigating a group of small species of horned frogs from the North-East. Horned frogs are so named for their fleshy, horn-like, projection on the upper eyelids of some species.
“North-East India is part of globally recognised biodiversity hotspots. Yet, the amphibian fauna of this region has been overlooked for far too long. Many such surprises are still waiting to be uncovered with respect to the incredible frog diversity of the North-East,” SD Biju, Professor at Delhi University said. With the new discoveries, 11 new species of horned frog have been named from North-East India following research by the same core team published in 2011, 2013, and 2018 (which included the 11 cm Giant Himalayan Horned Frog).