The Eastern Himalayas New Species Discoveries

© Milivoje Krvavac
A golden-eyed frog
Smith’s litter frog (Leptobrachium smithi) [1c, 1d]
identified in 1999 24 , one of five new frog discoveries in
the Indian state of Assam, must certainly rank among the
most extraordinary-looking frogs in the world.
Measuring only a few centimetres, this small frog has
a giant pair of piercing, bulging and vivid golden eyes.
Smith’s litter frog was reportedly discovered in the
Mayeng Hill Reserve Forest and Garbhanga Reserve
Forest, Kamru District, Assam 25 , and today populations
of the frog are declining due to pressures from forest
clearance and other impacts such as stream pollution 26 .
1d Leptobrachium smithi
8