Guwahati: A team of researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has discovered and described a new species of cascade-dwelling frog from Nagaland. The species has been named Amolops Kamal in honor of Dr Kamal Choudhury, the former head of the Department of Zoology at B Barooah College, Guwahati.
Bhaskar Saikia, the lead author of the research paper, shared his personal connection to the naming. He said, "I was a student of Dr Choudhury during my undergraduate years at B Borooah College. In recognition of his mentorship and inspiration, we decided to dedicate the newly discovered species to Dr Choudhury, who passed away on 1 December 2025."
Publication and Collection
The discovery was published in the latest issue of the Records of the Zoological Survey of India. The specimens of the new species were collected from Singrep village in Kiphire district of Nagaland in August 2024 by a team of scientists from ZSI, Shillong.
Taxonomic Insights
Saikia further explained, "The integrative taxonomic study, carried out in collaboration with scientists from ZSI, Pune, revealed that the specimens represent a distinct evolutionary lineage within the Amolops indoburmanensis species complex. This group has long been suspected to contain multiple cryptic species across northeast India and Myanmar. The finding confirms that Amolops indoburmanensis is not a widespread species, but actually a group of several distinct evolutionary lineages."
The genus Amolops currently comprises around 90 recognized species globally, of which 20 have been reported from India. "Species of this genus are often very similar morphologically, which makes them difficult to distinguish based solely on morphology. Molecular phylogenetic analyses are essential for accurately identifying this group of frogs," Saikia added.
Importance of the Discovery
The study also highlights the remarkable but largely unexplored amphibian diversity of northeast India. Researchers have called for further surveys and genetic studies across the region, stating that many more undiscovered amphibian species may still exist in the forests and mountain ecosystems of the northeast.
This discovery underscores the critical need for continued exploration and conservation efforts in one of the world's biodiversity hotspots.
