Written by: Roopak Goswami
Guwahati: In a major discovery in biodiversity research, scientists have documented the rare cascade frog Amolops nyingchiensis in Arunachal Pradesh’s Dibang river basin, marking its first recorded presence in India.
Until now, this species had only been reported from its original discovery site in Medog, located in the Nyingchi Prefecture of southeastern Tibet, China. This new finding extends its known geographical range by more than 60 kilometers into Indian territory, underscoring the rich yet insufficiently explored amphibian diversity of Northeast India.
The research team, led by Jayanta K. Roy and colleagues, confirmed the species through detailed morphological examination along with genetic analysis using 16S rRNA sequencing. During the study, three individual frogs were identified in separate locations—Etalin, Angrim village, and Emoli village.
All sightings were associated with fast-flowing mountain streams surrounded by large rocks and dense forest cover, indicating the frog’s preference for clean, high-altitude aquatic environments.
Genetic comparisons revealed a close match between the Indian specimens and those previously recorded in Tibet, showing very little variation and confirming they belong to the same species.
Amolops nyingchiensis belongs to the genus Amolops, a group of cascade frogs specially adapted to life in torrential streams. This genus includes 86 known species distributed across Asia, with around 20 species found in India.
The Dibang River Basin is increasingly recognized as an important amphibian hotspot, currently hosting 38 species across 17 genera and six families. Due to difficult terrain and limited phylogenetic research, scientists believe many species in this region remain undiscovered.
This discovery not only broadens the known range of A. nyingchiensis but also highlights the ecological importance and conservation value of the Dibang Valley’s fragile freshwater ecosystems.