SCIENTISTS in India have discovered 14 new species of so-called dancing frogs in the country’s jungle mountains in the south.
Biologists say they found the tiny acrobatic amphibians, which earned their name with the unusual kicks they use to attract mates, declining dramatically in number during the 12 years in which they chronicled the species through morphological descriptions and molecular DNA markers.
The study listing the new species — published on Thursday in the Ceylon Journal of Science — brings the number of known Indian dancing frog species to 24.
They breed after the yearly monsoon in fast-rushing streams, but their habitat appears to be becoming increasingly dry.
