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A dozen new Night frog species discovered from dwindling rainforests in India Researchers based at the University of Delhi and affiliated with Global Wildlife Conservation and the IUCN/SSC Amphibian Specialist Group have found a dozen new species of frogs in the forests of Western Ghats, India. This exciting news was published in the latest issue of Zootaxa (International Journal of Zoological Taxonomy). Prof. S.D. Biju of University of Delhi discovered the new species and published the results with co-researchers from the Bombay Natural History Society, the Zoological Survey of India and Vrije University, Brussels. The twelve species were identified after a revision of the Night frog genus Nyctibatrachus, following twenty years of field studies in the Western Ghats of India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra states). The Western Ghats are a global biodiversity hotspot for wildlife richness and endemism. Morphological traits and molecular markers were used to recognize the new species. Findings include the rediscovery of three ‘lost species’: Kempholey Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus kempholeyensis), Coorg Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus sanctipalustris) and Forest Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus sylvaticus). C.R. Narayan Rao from Karnataka described these frogs between 1920 and 1937. However, for the decades following their original descriptions, no further reports of these three little known species were made. From top left to bottom right: GAVI NIGHT FROG - Nyctibatrachus gavi, DANIEL’S NIGHT FROG - Nyctibatrachus danieli, INDRANEIL’S NIGHT FROG - Nyctibatrachus indraneili, PERIYAR NIGHT FROG - Nyctibatrachus periyari, VUB NIGHT FROG- Nycyibatrachus vrijeuni., DEVEN’S NIGHT FROG - Nyctibatrachus deveni, JOG’S NIGHT FROG - Nyctibatrachus jog, PILLAI’S NIGHT FROG - Nyctibatrachus pillaii, SHIRADI NIGHT FROG - Nyctibatrachus shiradi, WAYANAD NIGHT FROG - Nyctibatrachus grandis, SPINULAR NIGHT FROG - Nyctibatrachus acanthodermis. Photo: S.D. Biju 22 | FrogLog Vol. 98 | September 2011
These new discoveries bring the number of new species described by herpetologist SD Biju and his colleagues to an astounding forty-five. Among the new species described, is the “Deven’s Golden Night Frog” (Nyctibatrachus deveni), which is restricted to a small area of forest within the Indian state of Kerala. This frog is named after Deven Brian Sheth, in honor of his wildlife philanthropic parents, Adria Sheth and Brian Sheth, who is President of Vista Equity Partners, a private equity firm focused on software and technology-enabled businesses. Previous discoveries include the famed “Purple Frog” (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis) belonging to a new family of frogs, Nasikabatrachidae; the diminutive Nyctibatrachus minimus, the smallest tetrapod in India; the first Indian canopy frog, Raorchestes nerostagona, and the first Asian leaf folding frog Rhacophorus lateralis, among others. Frogs are environmental barometers and are very sensitive to subtle changes in their environment. They lived alongside dinosaurs, which have long since disappeared, but amazingly frogs continue to exist. Unfortunately, their existence is precarious. If the present trends in extinction continue, many frogs could disappear forever. Thirty-two percent of the world’s amphibian species are threatened with extinction. Every twenty minutes a species is pushed to extinction and more than 1000 acres of forests are destroyed. But there is still a small ray of hope for a brighter future for frogs. To begin, they have lived on earth for a period that is 5000 times longer than that of humans. Also, there is a rapidly growing interest in frogs among scientists and nature lovers alike. “Amphibians are popularly known as environmental barometers. They indicate the state of environmental health. Their conservation is extremely vital not only from amphibians point of view but also from the perspective of overall nature conservation” explains Delhi University Professor S D Biju, who led the research. Six out of the twelve new species are from unprotected, highly degraded habitats and require immediate attention to conserve these species and their habitats. The night frogs require unique habitats - either fast flowing streams or moist forest floor for breeding and survival. Further, it is the only group of frogs that can achieve fertilization and reproduction without any physical contact. This paper also reported the reproductive strategy in six species, and provided evidence for parental care behavior. “The major threat to amphibians in India is massive habitat loss. Taking any conservation effort for amphibians will indirectly conserve several other important biodiversities of that area” SD Biju. Financial support for field and lab studies: Department of Biotechnology, Government of India Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. University of Delhi (support to faculty for strengthening R & D program) “Lost” frogs found! from left to right: KEMPHOLEY NIGHT FROG - Nyctibatrachus kempholeyensis, COORG NIGHT FROG - Nyctibatrachus sanctipalustris, FOREST NIGHT FROG - Nyctibatrachus sylvaticus. Photo: S.D. Biju Further information contact: S.D. Biju Systematics Lab www.frogindia.org Department of Environmental Biology, University of Delhi 110 007, India. Email: sdbiju.du@gmail.com Don Church, Global Wildlife Conservation, Austin, Texas, USA. www.globalwildlife.org Email: dchurch@globalwildlife.org Robin Moore, IUCN/SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Arlington, VA, USA. Email: rdmoore@conservation.org FrogLog Vol. 98 | September 2011 | 23
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