Scientists discover three new cascade frog species in northeast India

Key facts

• Scientists discovered three new cascade frog species in Tripura, Nagaland, and West Bengal after over 15 years of field research.
• The findings were published in the Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, a scientific journal issued by Harvard University.
• The new species are Ammachi's Cascade Frog (Amolops ammachi), Sendenyu Cascade Frog (Amolops sendenyu), and Beautiful Cascade Frog (Amolops bella).
• Ammachi's Cascade Frog was found in Tripura's Jampui Hills and named in honour of social worker Padmini Varkey.
• The study also recorded five cascade frog species from previously undocumented locations and reported five additional species in India for the first time.
• DNA-based dating and biogeographic analyses traced cascade frog diversification to about 32 million years ago during the Eocene-Oligocene transition.
• The research highlighted the role of early Himalayan uplift in shaping the distribution and diversification of cascade frogs through an 'into-and-out-of-Himalaya' pattern.