Five new miniature horned frogs described in India
· BehindLines newsroom
Researchers have described five previously unknown tiny horned-frog species in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, in the eastern Himalayas. According to the BBC, the study came out on 11 November in the journal Royal Society Open Science; The Hindu says it appeared in that journal's latest issue.
Five years in the field
The work rests on five years of exploration in northeastern India, conducted by teams from Delhi University and from Harvard. The five species belong to the Jingophrys group, whose number of known species they more than double, the BBC says. The Hindu adds that the study also reports two new records for India, along with other unnamed populations that may be separate species. Sonali Garg, who led the research at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology, says that significant evolutionary shifts may escape notice in species few people have studied.
A frog that eats snails
One of the species, Jingophrys tanogogo, is nicknamed the snail-eating horned frog. According to The Hindu, researchers found whole land-snail shells inside its digestive tract, using 3D micro-computed tomography imaging. Both outlets describe it as the first frog recorded in India with this diet and the first in its family with such a diet; The Hindu names that family, the Megophryidae.
Names that pay tribute
According to The Hindu, three of the names are tied to local communities, languages or regions. The species Jingophrys taniitatii combines the name of the Tanii tribe with a word from the Apatani language meaning frogs. The BBC reports that the researchers say local tribes provided essential fieldwork support and knowledge, and that some species carry the names of these communities. The Hindu states that Jingophrys siangensis refers to the Siang region, while Jingophrys hrdy and Jingophrys wularsoni honour Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, Daniel Bruce Hrdy, Barbara Wu and Eric Larson.
How the identification was confirmed
The Hindu says the species were told apart by several methods: DNA analysis, comparison of external form and the males' mating calls. According to the BBC, the DNA suggests these frogs diversified rapidly while the mountains were rising and the Asian monsoon was forming.
Why it matters
S.D. Biju, from Delhi University, stresses that some species are very elusive and show up only briefly each year, in the breeding season, deep in remote forest. According to the BBC, the researchers consider that more studies are needed to understand their biology and conservation needs. The BBC also presents the Himalaya as an overlooked biodiversity hotspot.