Dozen new species of night frogs discovered

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Scientists have discovered a dozen new species of night frogs from the forests of Western Ghats. This discovery made by Keralite S D Biju at the  University of Delhi along with his co-researchers from the Bombay Natural History Society, the Zoological Survey of India and Vrije University, Brussels, was published in the latest issue of the international journal  Zootaxa.The twelve species belonging to Nyctibatrachus genus were identified following many years of field studies in the Western Ghats and in the states of  Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. Morphological traits and molecular markers were used to recognize the new species.The name Nyctibatrachus is composed of two words. The word ‘nycti’ is derived from the noun ‘nux (nyx)’, Greek for night, referring to the nocturnal activity of members of this genus, and the word ‘batrachus’ meaning frog. The common name night frog comes from this scientific name.Findings by the same team also include the rediscovery of three ‘lost species’. C R Narayan Rao from Karnataka had described these frogs between 1920 and 1937. However, for decades following their original descriptions, no further reports of these three little known species were made.The ‘lost and found’ frogs include the Kempholey Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus kempholeyensis), rediscovered after 75 years, the Coorg Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus sanctipalustris), rediscovered after 91 years and Forest Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus sylvaticus), rediscovered after 75 years.“Amphibians are popularly known as environmental barometers. They indicate the state of environmental health. Their conservation is extremely vital not only from amphibians point of view but also from the perspective of overall nature conservation” explained S D Biju, who led the research.Frogs are environmental barometers and are very sensitive to subtle changes in their environment. The night frogs require unique habitats - either fast-flowing streams or moist forest floor for breeding and survival.“The frogs have lived alongside dinosaurs, which have long since disappeared, but amazingly frogs continue to exist,” said Biju.