Researchers found a new frog species lurking in a pond in Bengaluru, and hope to discover more with systematic studies. 

The forests of the Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot of India, have been revealing several new species of amphibians and reptiles in the recent years. This time, however, amphibian researchers from the University of Delhi have discovered a new frog species which was hiding in plain sight in a roadside puddle in Southern India.

Researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and North Orissa University discover two new species of frog.

After the Microhyla laterite that was described from Manipal in 2016, scientists have found another new narrow-mouthed frog from the city centre of Mangaluru, in coastal Karnataka. 

A new study by scientists from Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany, University of Delhi, Delhi, India, Hiroshima University, Japan, Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, Bangladesh, Sorbonne Universités, France, and North-West University, South Africa has modified the classification of Asian frogs of the genus Fejervarya and related genera from the family Dicroglossidae.

The Western Ghats in India and Sri Lanka are well known biodiversity hotspots, with a rich diversity of amphibian species. Both these regions have high density of amphibian endemism, which means that many of the species of amphibians found here are found nowhere else on Earth. Over 85% of amphibian species found in Sri Lanka are endemic, making this island nation have the highest amphibian endemism in Asia.

The Western Ghats in India has been a hotspot for many a diverse and unique forms of life. The dense rainforests and tropical climate have assisted in the diversification of species, many of which are yet to be found. The latest addition to this growing list is Nasikabatrachus bhupathi, an underground dwelling frog that surface only for a few days every year, to mate. The species was found along the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, which receives rainfall during the northeast monsoon unlike the other parts of the ghats, and could be a primary reason for the differences in the species found in the different places.