A new cascade-dwelling frog species named
Amolops kamal was described
¨
A new cascade-dwelling
frog species named Amolops kamal was described on 29 May 2026.
¨
The species was
discovered in Nagaland, near Singrep village in Kiphire district.
¨
The field survey was
conducted in August 2024 by scientists from the Zoological Survey of India
(ZSI), Shillong.
¨
Cascade frogs belong to
the genus Amolops, which are adapted to fast-flowing hill streams and
waterfalls.
¨
The genus Amolops is part
of the Ranidae family, commonly known as true frogs.
¨
These frogs are specially
adapted to life in cascading and fast-moving water habitats.
¨
The species was
identified using integrative taxonomy, which combines morphology, genetics, and
other biological data.
¨
Molecular phylogenetic
analysis confirmed that Amolops kamal is a distinct evolutionary lineage within
the Amolops indoburmanensis species complex.
¨
The species name “kamal”
honours the late Dr. Kamal Choudhury.
¨
Dr. Kamal Choudhury was a
teacher and mentor to lead author Bhaskar Saikia of ZSI Shillong.
¨
The research was
published in the journal Records of the Zoological Survey of India.
