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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