Species in News: Amolops siju

In News

• Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of frogs from deep within the Siju cave in the South Garo Hills of Meghalaya.
  • This is the second time such a discovery has been made in India — the first being the discovery of the Micrixalus spelunca in 2014 from a cave in Tamil Nadu.
  • This is the fourth new species of a cascade frog (Amolops) published by the same team recently. Amolops chanakya, Amolops terraorchis and Amolops tawang were discovered in Arunachal Pradesh.

About Amolops Siju

• The Species was named Amolops siju after the cave. 
• The genus Amolops is one of the largest groups of ranid frogs (family Ranidae) with currently over 70 known species that are widely distributed across northeast and north India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, through Indochina, to the Malaya Peninsula.

Key facts about the Suji caves

• The cave is a natural limestone cave located in the South Garo Hills District of Meghalaya, Northeast India.
• It is a 4 km long natural limestone cave.

Source: TH