DEHRADUN: Scientists have claimed to have found "the first record" of the Mahabharat Torrent frog (Amolops mahabharatensis) in India. The species is extremely rare, endemic to the Himalayas and previously seen only in Nepal. The discovery was made in a mountain stream in Nainital by researchers from the Doon-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Laboratory of Conservation and Animal Behavior (LABC), Amphibian Specialist Group, IUCN and Foundation for Biodiversity Research and Conservation (BRCF), during a three-year study project on amphibians in the Himalayan region.
BRCF Principal Investigator Vishal Kumar Prasad said: "This is an important finding as it is an extremely rare frog species, found only in high-altitude mountain freshwater streams. It is also an indicator Their presence means that the quality of the water and the ecosystem in the area remain good." The frog's call pattern includes several types of calls, which sound like a bird whistling.
The frog's identity was confirmed by using "a multi-integrated taxonomic approach of DNA barcoding, bioacoustics, biogeography and morphology techniques," the scientists said. The Himalayas are a biodiversity hotspot, but increasing anthropogenic pressure (human interference) is degrading amphibian habitats, scientists say. The threat is mainly due to contamination by agrochemicals, check dams, solid waste dumped in streams, unplanned urbanization and mass tourism, and climate change. Like all amphibians found in the Himalayan region, the Mahabharat Torrent frog is also highly vulnerable to climate change. These amphibians have dispersal capacity, endemism, and adaptation to relatively low elevations.
BRCF Principal Investigator Vishal Kumar Prasad said: "This is an important finding as it is an extremely rare frog species, found only in high-altitude mountain freshwater streams. It is also an indicator Their presence means that the quality of the water and the ecosystem in the area remain good." The frog's call pattern includes several types of calls, which sound like a bird whistling.
The frog's identity was confirmed by using "a multi-integrated taxonomic approach of DNA barcoding, bioacoustics, biogeography and morphology techniques," the scientists said. The Himalayas are a biodiversity hotspot, but increasing anthropogenic pressure (human interference) is degrading amphibian habitats, scientists say. The threat is mainly due to contamination by agrochemicals, check dams, solid waste dumped in streams, unplanned urbanization and mass tourism, and climate change. Like all amphibians found in the Himalayan region, the Mahabharat Torrent frog is also highly vulnerable to climate change. These amphibians have dispersal capacity, endemism, and adaptation to relatively low elevations.
