Wildlife Institute of India (WII) discovers 13 new bush frog species in Northeast India

Key facts

• A comprehensive five-year study by scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) led to the discovery of 13 new amphibian species across Northeast India.
• The study was based on extensive sampling across 81 localities in eight states, including 25 protected areas.
• Of the 13 new bush frog species, six were found in Arunachal Pradesh, three in Meghalaya and one each in Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur.
• The study integrates acoustic, genetic and morphological analyses, and re-examines century-old museum specimens from the Indo-Burma region.
• Bush frogs bypass the tadpole stage entirely: their eggs hatch directly into froglets, making them independent of standing water and reliant on humid forest microhabitats.