Shillong, Dec. 21 (PTI): Scientists have discovered a new frog species from its home in the fast flowing streams in Arunachal Pradesh s Lower Subansiri district, one of the five discovered in India in the recent times and the 59th in the world, officials said today.
The new species discovered from Talle Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) has been named as Odorrana arunachalensis, after the state where it was discovered, they said.
According to a publication in the Journal of Biosciences, a science journal of Arunachal Pradesh-based Rajiv Gandhi University, the species is sighted during the wet season, from April to September. They are not seen in the dry seasons.
Odorrana (commonly known as the odorous frog) is a genus of true frogs (Ranidae) from East Asia and surrounding regions including India.
The medium-sized green frog adapted for a life in torrential waters of the state was discovered by a team of scientists from the Zoological Survey of India led by Bhaskar Saikia, Bikramjit Sinha and Ilona Jacinta Kharkongor.
This new species inhabits moss and fern covered rocky stratum along hill streams in mixed wet tropical forest type. Currently, they are reported from within and outskirts of the Talley Valley WLS but are expected to be found in a wider range due to the availability of similar habitats of this species in other parts of the state.
There are over 50 species of frogs belonging to the genus Odorrana with many species exhibiting overlapping morphological characters, making their identification in the field difficult. But in the case of Odorrana arunachalensis, the presence of a black band-like mark between the eyes is a distinguishing character that separates it from all the other frog species of this genus.
