India has discovered seven new night frogs. The new species of frogs were discovered in the Western side of Ghats.
Scientists from India have recently found seven species of frogs. Four of the frogs were really small, said PeerJ, a peer-reviewed biological and medical science journal. ABC News has reported that all of the newly found frogs are from the genus Nyctibatrachus. The frogs are also known to be night frogs because of their dark colors and habitats, scientists explained.
The frogs are Manalar Night Frog, which measures 13.1 mm. Robinmoore's Night Frog that is only 12.2 mm long. The Vijayan's Night Frog, which is also one of the tiny one, only 13.6 mm long. Another miniature frog is the Sabarimala Night Frog, 12.3 mm long. Others were Radcliffe's Night Frog, Athirappilly Night Frog and Kadalar Night Frog,
University of Delhi scientists did five years of extensive research and observation before finding out these night frogs, said Mail Online. The amphibians were discovered in India's Western Ghats region. It is known to be an amphibian and global biodiversity hot spot. The miniature frogs are as small as 12 mm (less than half an inch) and can grow up to 16mm. The frogs can fit on a coin or a fingernail, according to researchers.
Since the Western Ghats region is a frog hot spot scientists were shocked that these newly discovered frogs were overlooked. "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," Sonali Garg, who worked on the study, said.
Five of the newly discovered frogs are already in the threat of being extinct. So far, there are 35 night frogs identified. Moreover, one-third of all newly discovered species in Ghats are near extinction, added Professor SD Biju, who led the study. There is a need for conservatory for the threatened animals.
