Four new ‘Night Frogs’ discovered in the Western Ghats
The amphibians are smaller in size than a human thumbnail and make a distinctive chirping sound, almost like that of a cricket.
A team of researchers from the University of Delhi and the Kerala Forest Department have discovered four new species of frogs in the Western Ghats, the global biodiversity hotspot, bringing the total number of newly discovered ‘night frog’ species to seven.
Night frogs belong to the Nyctibatrachus genus and are endemic to the Western Ghats. They belong to an ancient group of frogs that appeared about 70 to 80 million years ago.
Sabarimala Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus sabarimalai), a 12.3 mm miniature-sized frog found in close vicinity of the Sabarimala Pilgrimage centre in the Western Ghats that attracts a large number of pilgrims. Photograph: SD Biju
According to The Hindu, “The minuscule frogs have probably been overlooked because of their extremely small size, secretive habitats and cricket-like calls,” says Sonali Garg who undertook the study as part of her PhD research at the University of Delhi.
However, five of these seven new species are already facing the threat of extinction, says Prof. Sathyabhama Das Biju, an amphibian expert at the University of Delhi and a study co-author.
According to National Geographic, “between 2001 and 2015, scientists described 1,581 new amphibian species, 159 of which were found in the Western Ghats - the second most diverse place after Brazil's Atlantic Forest.”
The findings have been published in PeerJ.
Cover image: Vijayan’s Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus pulivijayani), a 13.6 mm miniature-sized frog from Agasthyamala hills in the Western Ghats, sitting comfortably on a thumbnail. Photograph: SD Biju