Hikers hear something in bushes at night — and rediscover species last seen in 1919
Hiking through the darkened forest of eastern India, scientists heard something calling out from the bushes and decided to investigate. The sounds turned out to be two species not seen in over a century.
Researchers ventured into the hills of Meghalaya several times between 2020 and 2022 in search of some amphibians, according to a study published Nov. 18 in the peer-reviewed journal Herpetozoa. During the nighttime surveys, they listened for calling animals and tracked down roughly a dozen frogs.
At first, researchers had trouble identifying the small brown frogs. Eventually, they found some “overlooked” records from 1919 describing two new species of bush frog that hadn’t been seen since, the study said. The old descriptions “lacked” a lot of information but matched the frogs researchers had captured.
Researchers realized they’d rediscovered two species considered lost for 105 years: Raorchestes garo and Raorchestes kempiae.
Both rediscovered species have “large” eyes, “small” bodies and colorful groins, the study said. Photos show the bush frogs.
Raorchestes garo frogs were found “infrequently” and typically “heard calling at dusk” from about 8 feet up in the shrubbery, researchers said.
Raorchestes kempiae frogs, however, were “relatively abundant” and found “calling at dusk from bamboo bushes,” the study said. The species was previously considered critically endangered, but researchers recommended downgrading it to a species of least concern.
Researchers found the rediscovered species at several sites in and around the Garo Hills of Meghalaya, a state of northeastern India bordering Bangladesh and a roughly 1,200-mile drive southeast from New Delhi.
Both rediscovered species were reclassified from their original genus Ixalus to the genus Raorchestes based on a DNA analysis. The species were identified by their coloring, body shapes and other subtle physical features, the study said.
The research team included R.S. Naveen, S.R. Chandramouli, S. Babu, A.M. Ryndongsngi, P.V. Karunakaran and Honnavalli N. Kumara.
The team also discovered a new species: the Asakgre bush frog.
This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Hikers hear something in bushes at night — and rediscover species last seen in 1919."
