Three new species of horned frogs discovered in NE India

Dimapur, May 1 (EMN): Three new species of horned frogs have been discovered by biologists in Northeast India. The team, consisting of Irish and Indian biologists from the University College Dublin (Ireland), the Natural History Museum (NHM) (UK), and University of Delhi (India), discovered the new species while investigating a group of small species of horned frogs in the region.

Two of the new species -- the Naga Hills Horned Frog (Megophrys awuh) and Tamenglong Horned Frog (Megophrys numhbumaeng) -- have been named using words adapted from local tribal languages. The word “awuh” means “frog” in the Pochury language while “nwmbwmaeng” means “forest spirit” in the Rongmei (Ruangmei) language, according to an update from Dr. Rachunliu G Kamei, Scientific Associate, department of Life Sciences at NHM, London. The third new species -- the Dzükou Valley Horned Frog (Megophrys dzukou) -- was named after the only place this potentially endangered new species was found that lies on the border of Nagaland and Manipur states. 

“This work is the result of fourteen years of research, gradually piecing together the story from extensive literature review and examining a large number of museum specimens by the lead author, and seven years of dedicated fieldwork in some of the wettest and most difficult terrains in the world by the Indian team,” read the update.

The extensive study was published on April 28 as a monograph in the scientific journal, ‘Journal of Natural History.’

Dr. Kamei, one of the biologists from NHM, said: “I grew up personally witnessing the rapid changes in the northeast Indian landscapes, jungles disappearing with shocking speed! It troubles me greatly that natives are still ignorant about the delicate harmony an ecosystem requires for it to be in balance. Frogs are so vital for healthy ecosystems but incredibly many Nagas still just consider them as tasty snacks.”

“The Dzükou Valley holds prestige for its natural beauty and is promoted as a tourist attraction; however, increasing tourism brings potential conservation threats to vulnerable endemic species. We named the frog after the valley in the hope that the need for preservation and conservation of the remarkable habitats will resonate with the local people who are the guardians of the valley.

“Local communities are the custodians of their land, and therefore the protection of the remaining wildlife and natural habitats is entirely their responsibility. We named two of the species (Megophrys awuh and Megophrys numhbumaeng) using the local Naga languages because ownership, pride and relatability is very important, and may encourage the locals to be more sympathetic to protect their diminishing heritage,” he added.

Besides the discovery of the three new species, this study has dramatically increased the known distribution of four of the five poorly known species. The Zunheboto Horned Frog (Megophrys zunhebotoensis) was known to Science from only two individuals since it was named in 2007 but was found to be widespread in Nagaland and Manipur states. The Common Warty Horned Frog (Megophrys serchhipii) was previously known from a single individual but was found to be even more widespread in the hills of all Northeast Indian states (except Arunachal Pradesh) and neighbouring Bangladesh, it said.

Dr. Stephen Mahony, the lead author of the paper, said: “This study is a testament to how little is known about the most threatened animal groups, frogs, in north-eastern India. Our work has completely changed what we thought we knew about these secretive animals, from how to identify the different species and how they are related to each other, to where they live and how vulnerable they may be to deforestation.” 

The discoveries have concluded the eleventh new species of horned frog to be named from Northeast India following research by the same core team published in 2011, 2013, and 2018 (which included the 11 cm Giant Himalayan Horned Frog), it added.