An odd tree frog thought to be extinct rediscovered in India

Biologists in northeastern India were excited in 2007 when they saw a tree frog, the Polypedates jerdonii, for the first time in the wild since 1870. After researching the amphibian, they found that it is from a new genus, and christened it the Frankixalus jerdonii.

In a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE on Wednesday, the team describes how females attach their eggs to the insides of tree hollows, which hold pools of water. After the tadpoles hatch and fall into the water, the females feed them unfertilized eggs until they turn into froglets. Study co-author Ines Van Bocxlaer of the Amphibian Evolution Lab in Belgium told National Geographic that its DNA, feeding behavior, and anatomy "shows the species represents a deep evolutionary split in tree frog evolution."

The team did not observe the females dropping off eggs at the trees, and they plan to do further research to determine how the eggs are delivered. The females do have a tube-like extension to their reproductive organs that would allow them to lay eggs individually, and it's also possible that females may feed more than just their own young. James Hanken, curator of herpetology at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology, told National Geographic it's likely this isn't the last time a new genus will be found in the area. "This part of southeast Asia, in particular, is poorly inventoried," he said. "I wouldn't be at all surprised if additional species were discovered."

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