Nasikabatrachus bhupathi

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Nasikabatrachus bhupathi
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Nasikabatrachidae
Genus: Nasikabatrachus
Species:
N. bhupathi
Binomial name
Nasikabatrachus bhupathi
Janani, Vasudevan, Prendini, Dutta, and Aggarwal, 2017 [2]
Nasikabatrachus bhupathi map.svg
Approximate distribution
  Range

Nasikabatrachus bhupathi, or Bhupathy's purple frog, [3] is a frog species belonging to the family Nasikabatrachidae. It can be found in the Western Ghats in India and was discovered near the Srivilliputhur Grizzled Giant Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary. [2] [4] The specific epithet honors the late Indian herpetologist Subramanian Bhupathy (1963–2014). [2]

Contents

Taxonomy

Nasikabatrachus bhupathi and Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis have been found to be related to other frogs that live in the Seychelles, which are closer to Africa than to India. This is consistent with the idea that Africa and India were once part of the same ancient supercontinent, called Gondwanaland, which eventually became part of the later supercontinent, Pangaea. [5]

Description

The species has purple skin and blue eyes and lives underground. It differs genetically, morphologically, and acoustically from the closely related Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis . [2] Speciation between the two species is likely caused by the different monsoon seasons on the different sides of the Western Ghats, causing N. sahyadrensis to breed between May and August and N. bhupathi to breed between October and December. [2]

Status

This species is considered Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to its very small range, which is mostly threatened by water extraction, pollution, and disturbance from tourism. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purple frog</span> Species of amphibian

The purple frog, Indian purple frog, or pignose frog is a frog species of the genus Nasikabatrachus. It is endemic to the Western Ghats in India. Although the adult frog was formally described in October 2003, the juvenile form of the species was described earlier in 1917.

<i>Nasikabatrachus</i> Genus of amphibians

Nasikabatrachus is a genus of frogs. It is presently treated as the only genus in the family Nasikabatrachidae, though previously it was included in the family Sooglossidae. Two species are recognized, Nasikabatrachus bhupathi and Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis, both endemic to southwestern India. Both Nasikabatrachidae and Sooglossidae are thought to be the only extant families of the superfamily Sooglossoidea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">True toad</span> Family of amphibians

A true toad is any member of the family Bufonidae, in the order Anura. This is the only family of anurans in which all members are known as toads, although some may be called frogs. The bufonids now comprise more than 35 genera, Bufo being the best known.

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<i>Melanobatrachus</i> Species of amphibian

Melanobatrachus is a genus of narrow-mouthed frogs in the family Microhylidae. It is the only remaining genus in the monotypic subfamily Melanobatrachinae. It contains a single species, Melanobatrachus indicus, also known as the Indian black microhylid frog and Malabar black narrow-mouthed frog. It is endemic to wet evergreen forests of southern Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu states of India. It has been recorded from Anaimalai, Munnar, Palni hills, Periyar Tiger Reserve and Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

<i>Uperodon anamalaiensis</i> Species of amphibian

Uperodon anamalaiensis, also known as Anamalai dot frog, Anamalai ramanella, or reddish-brown microhylid frog, is a species of narrow-mouthed frog found in South India. The holotype was discovered at the base of the Anaimalai Hills, Coimbatore district in the southern Western Ghats. The holotype is missing and the status of the species was uncertain till 2010. Until rediscovered in the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary in 2010, this frog was reported only once by C. R. Narayan Rao in 1937.

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<i>Uperodon triangularis</i> Species of amphibian

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<i>Minervarya sahyadris</i> Species of frog

Minervarya sahyadris, also known as the small cricket frog, is a species of frog in the family Dicroglossidae. It is endemic to central Western Ghats of kerala& Karnataka in India.

<i>Nyctibatrachus beddomii</i> Species of amphibian

Nyctibatrachus beddomii is a species of frog in the family Nyctibatrachidae.

<i>Raorchestes chalazodes</i> Species of frog from India

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<i>Raorchestes flaviventris</i> Species of amphibian

Raorchestes flaviventris is a species of arboreal, nocturnal, frog of the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats, South India. Its common name is yellow-bellied bush frog.

<i>Raorchestes glandulosus</i> Species of amphibian

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<i>Rhacophorus calcadensis</i> Species of amphibian

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<i>Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus</i> Species of amphibian

Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus, also known as Anaimalai flying frog, false Malabar gliding frog, and false Malabar tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to the Anaimalai Hills, a part of the southern the Western Ghats in the Tamil Nadu and Kerala states, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sathyabhama Das Biju</span> Indian herpetologist and conservationist

Sathyabhama Das Biju is an Indian amphibian biologist, wildlife conservationist and heads the Systematics Lab at the University of Delhi, Department of Environmental Studies. He is dubbed as the "Frogman of India" by media for his passion for frogs and for bringing fresh fascination for Indian amphibians. In an interview with Sanctuary Asia, he was introduced as "one of the world's foremost amphibian experts".

Subramanian Bhupathy (1963–2014) was an Indian herpetologist, wildlife biologist and researcher. He was a principal scientist at the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON). He headed a three-year study on the patterns of distribution of selected faunal groups on the Agasthyamalai hills. He worked on lizards, amphibians and birds and his contributions and works were more focused on reptiles. Dr Bhupathy was noted for work on pythons and python ecology in India and Indian turtles and tortoises.

References

  1. 1 2 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2022). "Nasikabatrachus bhupathi". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022: e.T125190480A125190896.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Janani, S. Jegath; Vasudevan, Karthikeyan; Prendini, Elizabeth; Dutta, Sushil Kumar; Aggarwal, Ramesh K. (13 August 2017). "A new species of the genus Nasikabatrachus (Anura, Nasikabatrachidae) from the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, India" (PDF). Alytes. 34 (1–4): 1–19. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  3. Bittel, Jason (24 August 2017). "New Purple Pig-Nose Frog Found in Remote Mountains". National Geographic. Weird & Wild. Washington, DC. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  4. Frost, Darrel R. (2021). "Nasikabatrachus bhupathi Janani, Vasudevan, Prendini, Dutta, and Aggarwal, 2017". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001 . Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  5. Perinchery, Aathira (23 August 2017). "'N. bhupathi', a frog with the face of a pig". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2020.