New horned frog species discovered in Arunachal Pradesh

Guwahati: In a major achievement, a new species of forest-dwelling horned frog has been discovered at the Talley Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh.

According to reports, the discovery was made by a team of researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in Shillong, in collaboration with their colleagues from ZSI, Pune, and ZSI, Itanagar.

The frog species has been named after the Arunachal’s Apatani tribe — Xenophrys apatani.

This discovery marks a significant addition to India’s herpeto-faunal diversity.

The study was ably led by Bhaskar Saikia and Bikramjit Sinha of ZSI, Shillong, and included KP Dinesh and A Shabnam of ZSI, Pune, and Ilona Jacinta Kharkongor of ZSI, Itanagar.

According to Saikia, “This finding overturns an earlier erroneous report of the Maoson horned frog (Xenophrys maosonensis) in India reported by researchers of ZSI, Shillong in 2019. The revised conclusion regarding the identity of the species was done after further analysis revealed substantial genetic disparities between the Indian specimen and X. maosonensis from Vietnam and China, prompting a re-evaluation.”

Saikia also said that the discovery of Xenophrys apatani highlights the country’s rich biodiversity and scores the importance of rigorous taxonomic studies in understanding India’s natural heritage.

“The new frog species is named after the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, which predominantly resides in the Lower Subansiri Valley of Arunachal Pradesh and where Tale Wildlife Sanctuary is located, in recognition of their ingenuity in the conservation of wild flora and fauna,” Saikia added.

The findings of the research were published in the latest issue of the Records of the Zoological Survey of India.