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India Discovers New Amphibian Species While Facing Conservation Crisis
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Firstpost•18-10-2026, 16:49
India Discovers New Amphibian Species While Facing Conservation Crisis
- •Researchers in India have reported multiple new amphibian species in 2026, including three cascade frogs from the Northeast, a fanged frog in Arunachal Pradesh, and a new legless caecilian in Maharashtra.
- •A major 15-year study by a team led by S.D. Biju documented over 300 populations of cascade frogs, introducing species like Ammachi's cascade frog and the Sendenyu cascade frog to science.
- •India's total recorded amphibian count now stands at 458, highlighting the country's rich yet underexplored biodiversity.
- •Despite new discoveries, a global assessment reveals that roughly a third of India's evaluated amphibians are threatened, with the highest concentrations in the Western Ghats.
- •Climate change and diseases such as the chytrid fungus pose severe threats to amphibian populations, prompting calls for urgent conservation action and monitoring.
Key Questions Answered
Researchers reported several new amphibian species in India in 2026, including three cascade frogs from the Northeast, a fanged frog in Arunachal Pradesh, and a legless caecilian named Gegeneophis chandgadi found in a Maharashtra backyard.
According to the second Global Amphibian Assessment, about 32%, or 136 of the 426 evaluated amphibian species in India, fall into a threatened category, with the highest concentration found in the Western Ghats.
The CSIR-CCMB offers a non-invasive test for the chytrid fungus that zoos, conservation groups, and university researchers use to quickly identify infected frogs and monitor disease levels in populations.
