March 15, 2019

A new frog species, named Astrobatrachus kurichiyana, has been identified by Indian and American scientists. They discovered it in 2010 within the flora of the Western Ghats, atop Kerala Wayanad, in southern Inde.

Nicknamed the Starry Dwarf Frog for its pale blue and striking orange coloring sprinkled with small white spots resembling stars, it actually measures just 2 centimeters in length and dwells beneath forest leaf litter—those decomposing leaves and other vegetative debris scattered across woodland floors. The researchers officially named it Astrobatrachus kurichiyana, with astrobatrachus deriving from the Greek for "starry sky," and kurichiyana designating the region's inhabitants.

A Leap Through Time

Nine years of study were required between the specimen's discovery and its official recognition through publication on Wednesday in the American scientific journal PeerJ. Dr. Vijayakumar, an Indian researcher, explained the intricacies of this work to the Indian newspaper The Hindu. "We studied the frog's physical, skeletal, and genetic characteristics. Then we compared it to similar specimens in museum collections around the world. Some of its physical traits (such as the triangular tips of its fingers and toes) bear striking resemblance to those of frogs from South America and Africa. However, genetic studies revealed something remarkable: its closest relatives belong to the Nycibatrachinae frog group that lived in Western Ghats streams, and the Lankanectinae frogs of Sri Lanka. " Ancestors that would have lived more than 60 million years ago. The Astrobatrachus kurichiyana would therefore not be an entirely new species proper, but rather a subfamily separated from its relatives by tens of millions of years.

Thibault Bourru

Thibault BourruA devoted enthusiast of literature and Asia, Thibault shares his experiences through his writing.