五年調查帶來新物種

德里大學與哈佛研究團隊經過五年野外調查，在印度東喜馬拉雅地區識別五種Jingophrys屬小型角蟾，使這一組已知物種數量超過翻倍。成果11月11日發表於Royal Society Open Science。其中Jingophrys tanogogo被稱爲印度首種已知以蝸牛爲食的蛙，也是其所屬科首次記錄這種食性；不等於全球所有蛙類中首次發現。

演化與當地知識

研究結合DNA分析，認爲山脈隆起與亞洲季風形成期間的環境變化推動物種分化。當地族羣提供野外協助，部分新種以他們命名，例如Jingophrys taniitatii結合Tanii族名與Apatani語“蛙”一詞。另三種爲J. siangensis、J. hrdy及J. wularsoni。研究者強調仍需進一步瞭解繁殖、生物學和保護需要，偏遠森林中短暫的繁殖期可能使這些動物長期被忽略。

來源：BBC News 原報道。大魚新聞整理原創中文摘要；保留原網頁刊發日期。

SD Biju A snail-eating horned frog discovered in India has been named Jingophrys tanogogo

SD Biju A snail-eating horned frog discovered in India has been named Jingophrys tanogogo

SD Biju Some discoveries, such as the Jingophrys taniitatii, were named to honour the local tribes that helped the researchers

SD Biju Some discoveries, such as the Jingophrys taniitatii, were named to honour the local tribes that helped the researchers

SD Biju Jingophrys hrdy or the Hrdy's horned frog is among the miniature frogs discovered in India's Arunachal Pradesh state

SD Biju Jingophrys hrdy or the Hrdy's horned frog is among the miniature frogs discovered in India's Arunachal Pradesh state

SD Biju Researchers say they will have to carry out more studies to better understand the biology of the new species, including Jingophrys siangensis ( Siang horned frog)

SD Biju Researchers say they will have to carry out more studies to better understand the biology of the new species, including Jingophrys siangensis ( Siang horned frog)