New frog species discovered in Arunachal, named after Patkai hills

Guwahati: A team of researchers discovered a stunning green tree frog that makes insect-like sounds. The frog, Patkai Green Tree Frog (Gracixalus patkaiensis), was named after the historical ‘Patkai’ hills range where it was found.

The researchers leading the discovery are from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Senckenberg Natural History Collections, Dresden, Germany and Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh. The team said this is the sixth new frog species discovered from Namdapha Tiger Reserve in the Patkai hills range and that this species breeds in swampy areas during the monsoon season.

In 2022, the frog was first found by the research team during a herpetological exploration in Namdapha Tiger Reserve and the discovery was published in the latest issue of the journal “Vertebrate Zoology”.