DU researchers find 7 new tiny frog species
After five years of extensive exploration, two Indian scientists in the Western Ghats have discovered seven new miniature frog species, which can comfortably sit even on a child’s thumbnail.
The study, conducted by two DU-based researchers in the Western Ghats, said that these frogs were overlooked earlier because of their insect-like calls and secretive habitats.
“It is a very interesting finding because they are from small geographical region. Apart from big animals like tiger and elephants, there is a need to conserve this tiny amphibian also as they have been ignored,” S.D. Biju, who led the new study, said.
Adding that these frogs are active during both night and day time unlike other breeds who are active only during night, he added, “Over 32 per cent, that is one-third of the Western Ghats frogs are already threatened with extinction. Out of the
The species, found in the Western Ghats, were overlooked earlier because of their insect-like calls and secretive habitats
seven new species, five are facing considerable anthropogenic threats and require immediate conservation prioritisation.”
The study, titled “seven new species of night frogs from the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot of India, with remarkably high diversity of diminutive forms”, was published on Tuesday in PeerJ, a peer-reviewed open access journal. Four out of seven of the new species are just sized 12.2–15.4 millimetres.
“Till now only very few miniature frogs were known in this group... They are very ancient group of frogs, which evolved much earlier. These species of frogs is exclusive to Western Ghats which has vast diversity,” Sonali Garg, who undertook this study as part of her Ph.D. research at DU, said.
“In fact, the miniature species are locally abundant and fairly common but they have probably been overlooked because of their extremely small size, secretive habitats and insect-like calls,” Ms Garg said.
Unlike other frogs in the Nyctibatrachus genus (night frogs) that are predominantly stream dwelling, the new miniature frogs were found under damp forest leaf litter or marsh vegetation, the report said.