Guwahati: A team of herpetologists associated with the Guwahati-based Arya Vidyapeeth College discovered a new frog species at the Garbhanga Reserve Forest, a biodiversity hotspot on the outskirts of Guwahati Assam, according to the sources.
Sources stated that herpetologists Jayaditya Purkayastha, Dipankar Dutta, Jayanta Gogoi, and Saibal Sengupta discovered the species. Later, the team named the newly discovered species Leptobrachium aryatium, in honor of Arya Vidyapeeth College, in Guwahati.
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It stated that the frog species has fiery orange-and-black eyes, a unique reticulated throat pattern, and a smooth, rhythmic call at dusk. Scientific analysis of its appearance, DNA, and call patterns confirmed Leptobrachium aryatium as a previously unknown species.
Sources further stated that an article on the discovery of the frog species was published in ‘Zootaxa’, a New Zealand-based peer-reviewed scientific mega journal for animal taxonomists, on Monday, April 14.
According to herpetologist Purkayastha, the team started the research on the frog species in 2004. The team concluded the research upon discovering that the species belonged to the Leptobrachium smithi frog species, also found in Southeast Asian countries and Bangladesh.
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The team was able to establish the population of Leptobrachium smithi through a comprehensive multivariate approach, integrating morphometric, genetic, and bioacoustic analyses which represent a distinct, previously undescribed species,” Purkayastha asserted.
Purkayastha added that the Garbhanga Reserve Forest is not just home to this unique frog species, it is also a vital green lung for Guwahati.