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ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh has emerged as a major hotspot of amphibian diversity, with six out of the 13 newly discovered species of bush frogs in the Northeast identified from the state in a landmark taxonomic revision by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun.
This revision marks the highest number of vertebrate species described in a single scientific publication in India in more than a decade.
According to WII, researchers discovered the 13 new species across Northeast India, including six in Arunachal Pradesh, three in Meghalaya, and one each in Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur.
Seven of these species were recorded from protected areas in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, while one was found in a community-protected forest in Khonoma, Nagaland.
In Arunachal Pradesh, researchers documented two new species from Namdapha Tiger Reserve and one each from Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary and Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary.
The discoveries from Meghalaya include the Narphu bush frog from Narphu Wildlife Sanctuary, the Mawsynram bush frog from Mawsynram, and the Boulenger bush frog, named in honour of British-era amphibian expert G. A. Boulenger.
In Assam, researchers found the Barak Valley bush frog in the Barail Wildlife Sanctuary.
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