A team of researchers has recently discovered a new species of cricket frog in the northern Western Ghats.
It is a new species of endemic frog found in Mahabaleshwar region in the Northern Western Ghats, Maharastra.
Scientific Name - Minervarya Ghatiborealis.
Nomenclature - This species is named after the Sanskrit word ‘Ghati' western and Latin word ‘Borealis' meaning northern region, thus meaning ‘from the north western Ghats'.
Genus- It has been included in the genus Minervarya, commonly known as the ‘Cricket frog'.
Frogs of the Minervarya genus are distinguished by the parallel lines on their abdomens.
They nest near standing water or small springs and make noises similar to that of nightingales.
The breeding vocalization of males differ from other species of the genus.
Appearance– It is a large-sized cricket frog, reaching about 2.5 inches in length.
It has thin fingers, long legs, and distinctive golden-yellow eyes that are darker at the edges and lighter in the center.
The frog’s coloration varies from blotchy brown to orange, with pale cream bellies and yellow-tinted sides.
Distinction - Large, robust body and distinct morphological features like sub-elliptical snout, rudimentary webbing, and highly ridged glandular skin.
DNA analysis found the new species had at least 6% genetic divergence from other related frog species.
Similar species -Similar-sized species was discovered from Bamburde village, Pune, in 2019, which was named ‘Minervarya Marathi’.
