‘Lean’ creature with ‘diamond-shaped’ eyes found floating in pond. It’s a new species
In a pond of western India, a “squat” creature clutched a stick and floated along the surface. Its “diamond-shaped” eyes scanned the surrounding landscape — but it wasn’t the only one looking around.
Visiting scientists noticed the patterned animal and discovered a new species.
Researchers visited several sites in Maharashtra in 2020 and 2021 to search for amphibians. The region, known as the northern Western Ghats, had “tremendous potential for harboring remarkable (amphibian) diversity” but had gone understudied, according to a study published Dec. 1 in the peer-reviewed Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity.
During their surveys, researchers found some “lean” frogs that didn’t quite match any known species. Intrigued, they took a closer look at the animals and soon realized it was a new species: Phrynoderma konkani, or the Konkan pond frog.
Konkan pond frogs are considered “small sized,” reaching just over 2 inches in length, the study said. They have “elongated” bodies, “short and strong” limbs and a “pointed” snout. Their eyes are “diamond-shaped” with a black pupil and “golden brown” iris.
A photo shared on Facebook by Sujith Gopalan, one of the study co-authors, shows the coloring of the new species. The half-submerged frog has a yellow head fading brown on its back and hind legs. A single yellow stripe runs down the center of its back.
Other photos shared by co-author Omkar Yadav show the new species’ color variation. Some frogs have green heads while others are mostly brown.
Konkan pond frogs were “locally abundant” and found in ponds and wetlands, the study said. Researchers heard male frogs calling in the evening, saw them “floating on the water by taking small twigs as a support” and watched them eating insects.
Researchers said they named the new species Konkan after the local Marathi name for the region where it was discovered.
So far, Konkan pond frogs have been found at four locations in Maharashtra, a state along the west coast of India and a roughly 750-mile drive southwest from New Delhi, the study said.
The new species was identified by its location, call sound, coloring, body size and shape, texture and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 2% genetic divergence from other pond frogs.
The research team included Omkar Yadav, Amrut Bhosale, Yogesh Koli, Gopalan, Gurunath Kadam, Akshay Khandekar and K.P. Dinesh.
This story was originally published December 9, 2024 at 11:09 AM with the headline "‘Lean’ creature with ‘diamond-shaped’ eyes found floating in pond. It’s a new species."
