Following five years of fieldwork in India's eastern Himalayas, researchers from the University of Delhi and Harvard University have identified five previously unknown species of tiny horned frogs. The discoveries belong to the Jingophrys group, more than doubling the number of known species in the group.
Among the new species is Jingophrys tanogogo, commonly known as the snail-eating horned frog. It is the first frog known in India to feed on snails and the first member of its family recorded with such a diet.
The study was published in the Royal Society Open Science journal on November 11.
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The discovery highlights the eastern Himalayas as an important but understudied biodiversity hotspot and points to the region's greater role in frog evolution than previously understood.
Stretching from tropical forests to high-altitude alpine meadows, the Himalayas are among the world's richest biodiversity regions. Despite attracting considerable scientific interest, large parts of the mountain range remain unexplored.
Arunachal Pradesh, in particular, has emerged as one of the least-studied regions.
Dr Sonali Garg, who led the study at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology, said the findings highlight how significant evolutionary changes can go unnoticed in little-studied species.
Titled Two-fold hidden diversity of diminutive horned frogs (Megophryinae: Jingophrys), the research was co-authored by Garg and her Harvard colleague James Hanken, along with Delhi University researchers SD Biju, Tage Tajo and Radhakrishna Upadhyaya K.
"Some of the new species are extremely secretive and found in remote forests only during a short breeding season," Biju said.
DNA analysis showed that the horned frogs rapidly diversified into multiple species in the eastern Himalayas as the mountain range rose and the Asian monsoon took shape over millions of years. These changes helped drive the evolution of the region's plants and wildlife.
Researchers said further studies are needed to better understand the frogs' biology and conservation requirements.
Local tribal communities also played an important role in the discoveries, providing field support and sharing their knowledge of the region, according to a statement from the researchers. Some of the newly identified species were named in recognition of these communities.
For instance, the Tanii horned frog (Jingophrys taniitatii) is named after the Tanii tribe, with its scientific name combining the community's name with tatti, the word for "frog" in the local Apatani language.
The five newly identified species are:
Jingophrys taniitatii (Tanii horned frog)
Jingophrys tanogogo (snail-eating horned frog)
Jingophrys siangensis (Siang horned frog)
Jingophrys hrdy (Hrdy's horned frog)
Jingophrys wularsoni (Wu-Larson's horned frog)
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