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Published – August 12, 2026 03:17 pm IST – THIRUVANANTHAPURAM<\/p>\n
Ammachi\u2019s Cascade Frog (Amolops ammachi). The name honours the late Kerala social worker and philanthropist Padmini Varkey, affectionately known as \u2018Ammachi\u2019 (or mother).
\n | Photo Credit: special arrangement<\/p>\n
Scientists have discovered three new species of cascade frogs from the biodiverse-rich forests of Northeast India and documented five other species in the country for the first time.<\/p>\n
The findings, published in the peer-reviewed Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology,\u00a0are the culmination of over 15 years of extensive field research across the northeastern States.<\/p>\n
The research, led by Prof.\u00a0S. D. Biju of the Department of Environmental Studies, Delhi University, documented more than 300 geographic populations of cascade frogs inhabiting fast-flowing forest streams. Using DNA analyses along\u00a0with\u00a0detailed morphological comparisons of adult frogs and tadpoles, the scientists confirmed that populations from Tripura, Nagaland and West Bengal represent three species previously unknown to science.<\/p>\n