News Context
According to a 30 May 2026 report in The Hindu (Guwahati), a team of six scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) recorded this new cascade frog species in August 2024 in hill-stream habitats near Singrep village in Kiphire district of Nagaland, close to the Myanmar border. The study has been published in the latest issue of the Records of the Zoological Survey of India.
According to the report, the study team comprised Bhaskar Saikia (lead author), Bikramjit Singh, A. Shabnam, Prabir Narayan Konwar, Mridul Kumar Borthakur and K.P. Dinesh.
Recorded in August 2024 in hill streams near Singrep village, Kiphire district, Nagaland.
Team: six ZSI scientists; lead author Bhaskar Saikia.
Named in honour of the lead author's teacher Kamal Choudhury; common name: Nagaland Cascade Frog.
The Hindu (30 May 2026): about 90 species in the genus Amolops worldwide; 20 in India.
Taxonomic Basis
According to The Hindu, integrated taxonomic analyses, including molecular phylogenetics, confirmed that the samples represent a distinct evolutionary lineage within the Amolops indoburmanensis species complex.
According to the study, Amolops indoburmanensis, so far treated as a single widely distributed species, may in fact represent several distinct evolutionary lineages spread across the Northeast and neighbouring regions. The genus Amolops has about 90 recognised species worldwide, of which 20 are recorded from India; in India these are mainly classified into three groups: marmoratus, monticola and viridimaculatus.
Naming
According to the report, the species has been named Amolops kamal in honour of Kamal Choudhury, who was the lead author's teacher at B. Barooah College, Guwahati; its common name is the "Nagaland Cascade Frog".
According to ZSI Director Dhriti Banerjee, this documentation highlights the rich but little-studied faunal diversity of India's Northeast region and underlines the importance of long-term field surveys in a biodiversity hotspot.
Prelims: Practice Questions
Question 1. Which statement about Amolops kamal is correct?
(a) It is a new fish species found in the Western Ghats of Kerala
(b) It is a new reptile found in the Andamans
(c) It is a revision of an already known Himalayan species
(d) It is a new species of cascade frog recorded from Kiphire district of Nagaland; the study was published by ZSI scientists in the Records of the ZSI
See answer and reason
Answer: (d). According to The Hindu (30 May 2026), a six-member ZSI team recorded it in August 2024 in Kiphire district (near Singrep village); the study was published in the Records of the ZSI.
Question 2. On what basis was the species named "kamal"?
(a) Because of the frog's lotus-like colour
(b) After a mountain in Kiphire
(c) In honour of Kamal Choudhury, the lead author's teacher; the common name is Nagaland Cascade Frog
(d) After the ZSI Director
See answer and reason
Answer: (c). According to The Hindu (30 May 2026), the name honours Kamal Choudhury (B. Barooah College, Guwahati), the teacher of lead author Bhaskar Saikia; the common name is Nagaland Cascade Frog.
Question 3. According to The Hindu report, which figure about the genus Amolops is correct?
(a) About 90 valid species worldwide; 20 recorded from India
(b) 20 species worldwide; 90 in India
(c) 90 species confined to India alone
(d) The genus has only 3 species
See answer and reason
Answer: (a). According to The Hindu (30 May 2026), Amolops has about 90 recognised species worldwide, of which 20 are recorded from India.
Sources
The Hindu: New cascade frog species in Nagaland (Guwahati), 30 May 2026
Records of the Zoological Survey of India: Amolops kamal description paper (2026)
Times of India: New frog species Amolops kamal discovered in Nagaland, 31 May 2026
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