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A new-to-science toad, Duttaphrynus phawngpui, was described on 13 September 2026 in the journal Taprobanica (Vol. 15, Issue 2).
It was found at about 2,144 m in Phawngpui National Park, Lawngtlai district, and is so far known only from this type locality.
It belongs to the Duttaphrynus stuarti species group of the true-toad family Bufonidae; its closest relatives are D. stuarti, D. chandai and D. dhara.
A day later, a second Mizoram species, the frog Ingerana aizawl, was described - both finds point to the Mizoram uplands of the Indo-Burma hotspot.
Central university whose researchers led the description of both new Mizoram amphibians
Phawngpui National Park lies in Lawngtlai district in south-eastern Mizoram and holds the state's highest peak. Mizoram falls in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, where isolated mountain tops act as 'sky islands' with their own species.
GS Paper III > Environment > Biodiversity; Prelims > Protected areas of India
Which one of the following National Parks lies completely in the temperate alpine zone?
Answer: Valley of Flowers National Park
The place where the specimen used to describe a new species was collected.
An isolated high-altitude habitat surrounded by lowland, often with distinct species.