Indian Scientists Discover Two New Slender-Armed Frog Species in Arunachal Pradesh

Key facts

• Indian scientists discovered two new slender-armed frogs from their secretive habitats in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Delhi University (DU) frog hunter S D Biju and his PhD student Akalabya spotted the new species north of the Brahmaputra river.
• Soman’s Slender Arm Frog Leptobrachium somani was discovered at Tiwari Gaon and named after late E Somanath, a noted journalist from Kerala.
• The Mechuka Slender Arm Frog Leptobrachium mechuka is named after Mechuka, a small Arunachal Pradesh town close to the China border.
• The Brahmaputra river acted as the biogeographical barrier for these frogs, aiding species diversification.
• The slender-armed frogs Leptobrachium belong to the family Megophryidae, which is one of the most diverse frog families globally with 366 recognised species.
• The study was published in the US based scientific journal Peer J.