New species of Cascade frog discovered from Arunachal Pradesh

Source: The Hindu

What is the News?

A team of researchers from Delhi University (DU) have discovered a new species of cascade frog in Arunachal Pradesh. They have named the frog species as “Adi Cascade Frog (Amolops Adicola)”.

About Adi Cascade Frog:

1. Adi Cascade Frog is a predominantly brown colour frog with a size ranging roughly between 4 cm to 7 cm. 
2. The frog was discovered on the Adi hills in Arunachal Pradesh.
3. The frog has been named after Adi tribes, an indigenous group of people from the Himalayan regions of Arunachal Pradesh.
   • The literal meaning of Adi is “hill” or “mountain top”. Historically, the Adi Hills region was also known as Abor hills.

About Cascade Frogs:

1. Cascade Frogs belong to the genus Amolops. They are one of the largest groups of Ranid frogs (family Ranidae).
2. They are named so because of their preference for small waterfalls or cascades in flowing hill streams. Both adults and tadpoles of Adi cascade frogs, are particularly adapted to fast flowing sections of stream. 
3. Currently, there are 73 known species of Cascade Frogs. They are widely distributed across Northeast and North India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, through Indochina, to the Malay Peninsula.