Alcalus fontinalis : New Species Of Frog
Researchers have discovered a new species of frog, Alcalus fontinalis in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh recently.
- The identification of the new species is based on molecular, morphological, and osteological characteristics.
- Alcalus fontinalis frog was formally named Alcalus fontinalis, meaning “spring or fountain,” referencing the tiny streams or brooks where the frog was found in Arunachal Pradesh.
- It was discovered in the Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh.
- The new species stands out from its congeners due to a unique combination of morphological features.
- These include a snout-vent length of 27–28 mm in males and 29.9–36.2 mm in females.
- It has a disc on the fingers and toes with a horizontal/transverse groove on the dorsal surface.
- It has wrinkled dorsal skin.
- It has a pair of faint dorsolateral stripes on the back.
- The new species also exhibits a DNA sequence divergence of 7.6–25.4% in the mitochondrial gene fragment 12S–tVal–16S rRNA (1533 base pairs), further distinguishing it from its congeners.
- The frog appeared to be a mix of a bush frog and a water frog.
