The First Record of Odorrana Livida (Blyth, 1856) in Bangladesh with Notes on Its Skin Toxin and Natural History

Home , Amolops marmoratus, Fauna of Bangladesh, Leptobrachium smithi, Odorrana livida

Herpetology Notes, volume 14: 517-520 (2021) (published online on 11 March 2021)

The first record of Odorrana livida (Blyth, 1856) in Bangladesh with notes on its skin toxin and natural history

Md. Kamrul Hasan1,2,*, Towkir Hasan Hridoy2, Touhidur Rahman2, Anik Saha2, Md. Faijul Alam Siddik3, and Ashis Kumar Datta4

A total of 49 amphibian species have been recorded 2009; Hasan et al., 2014; Karim and Ahsan, 2014; Reza, in Bangladesh of which 10 are ranids (Hasan et al., 2014; Hakim et al., 2020). We report this species from 2014; IUCN Bangladesh, 2015). Among the ranids, two Baraiyadhala National Park (22.8397°N, 91.6258°E, species of cascade frogs are known from Bangladesh, datum WGS84; elevation 94 m; Fig. 2) in the north east the Marbled Cascade frog (Amolops marmoratus) and of the country. Baraiyadhala NP is covered with mixed Green-backed Stream frog (Odorrana chloronata) evergreen forest and has four major waterfalls and many (IUCN Bangladesh, 2015). Odorrana livida is hilly streams. associated with fast-moving streams (Boulenger, 1920; We captured eleven specimens, which were measured Smith, 1921; Stuart, 1999; Frost, 2018). This species and photographed in life and two specimens were has a dark-green dorsum and long legs, light-brown preserved as voucher specimens, during a total limbs with transverse bars, an off-white lip-stripe, broad of 16 fieldwork days between February–August head with the bluntly rounded snout and a prominent 2018. Specimens were euthanised using halothane round tympanum smaller than the eye diameter (Bain et vapour following American Veterinary and Medicine al., 2003; Saikia et al., 2018). The snout-vent length of Association (AVMA) guidelines (Underwood & female O. livida is nearly twice that of the male (Bain et Anthony 2013) under the permit No. FD 22.01.0000. al., 2003). It has odoriferous, highly toxic skin secretion 101.23.2018.4094 within 24 hours of capturing. The (Karsen et al., 1998). Odorrana livida is likely a complex specimens were fixed in 10% buffered formalin and of species (Bain et al., 2003), and molecular data transferred to 70% ethanol. Specimens were deposited confirms its presence in northeastern India, peninsular at the Wildlife Museum of the Department of Zoology, Thailand and Myanmar; though populations of O. livida Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. in China may represent a different species (Frost, 2020). Odorrana livida is assessed as Data Deficient (Bain, 2004) with few information available on its distribution and natural history (Fea, 1887; Bain et al., 2003; Mathew and Sen, 2010; Hooroo et al., 2017). We document the first report of O. livida (Fig. 1) in Bangladesh, its presence has not been mentioned in any of the previously published amphibian literature (Khan, 1982, 2010, 2015; Sarker and Sarker, 1988; IUCN Bangladesh, 2000, 2015; Khan, 2008, 2018; Kabir et al.,

1 Department of Zoology, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka-1342, Bangladesh. 2 Wildlife Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka-1342, Bangladesh. 3 Channel 24, 387 (south) Tejgaon, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. 4 Independent Researcher, Dhaka, Bangladesh. * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]

Figure 1. (A) Female Odorrana livida from Baraiyadhala National Park in Bangladesh (voucher no: JUGH 00377); (B) ventral view; (C) lateral view, with closed eye during toxin secretion (D) habitat. Photographs by M.K. Hasan.

Details of voucher specimens: Adult female O. livida India and our specimens exhibited morphometric and (JUGH 00377) collected 23 February 2018 at about meristic similarity with this population as well as with 11:30 h; adult male (JUHG 00378) collected from the the holotype from Myanmar (Bain et al., 2003; Saikia et same site on 20 July 2018 at 17:20 h. Both specimens al., 2018). This record extends the distributional range of were collected from a stream adjacent to a waterfall. O. livida (Fig. 2) by ~145 km, compared to the nearest Morphometric data of snout-vent length (SVL), population in India is in the Mizoram State (Bain et al., head length (HDL), head width (HDW), snout length 2003; Hooroo et al., 2018; Saikia et al., 2018). (SNT), eye diameter (EYE), interorbital distance (IOD), Odorrana livida was observed on all four major hills tympanum diameter (TYM), relative length of finger, of the National Park. There, hill streams were rocky vomerine teeth, finger and toe discs, skin of dorsum, with many boulders located in a scattered manner. We snout shape, lip stripe and toe webbing followed by observed frogs emerging from the small cervices on Bain et al. (2003) and Hasan et al. (2014). In addition, the rock wall and from the underneath boulders soon several other morphometric parameters were measured after the sunset. Odorrana livida was found to be following Hasan et al. (2014) see Table 1. strictly stream dwelling and nocturnal, and was only The morphometric and colouration comparisons with encountered in the vicinity of rocky streams (Fig. 1D), the published literature (Bain et al., 2003; Hooroo et al., while population concentration seemed higher around 2017) confirm that the specimens were adult O. livida waterfalls. Amplectant pairs were observed on the (Blyth, 1856). Our survey site in Bangladesh is very rocks near waterfalls between mid-July and end of the close to the population of this species in northeastern August 2018. This species was syntopic with Amolops The first record of Odorrana livida in Bangladesh 519

Table 1. Morphometric and meristic information of Odorrana livida from Bangladesh.

Measurements (mm) Characters This Study Bain et al. (2003) Female (n=5) Male (n = 6) Male Female Range Mean Range Mean SVL 90.20−92.10 91.06 ± 0.75 57.40−64.20 60.83 ± 2.93 - 89.40-97.10 HDL 33.35−34.05 33.77 ± 0.29 21.24−23.74 22.59 ± 1.07 - 32.80−36.10 HDW 30.68−31.36 31.05 ± 0.26 20.15−22.52 21.42 ± 1.01 - 31.60 SNT 10.28−10.72 10.64 ± 0.08 7.40−7.96 7.80 ± 0.24 - 14.20 EYE 9.44−9.65 9.55 ± 0.08 6.00−6.72 6.41 ± 0.32 - 10.20 IOD 9.65−9.86 9.76 ± 0.08 6.30−7.08 6.73 ± 0.33 - 8.0 TMP 4.70−4.80 4.76 ± 0.04 3.10−3.46 3.29 ± 0.15 - 4.50 Finger length III>IV>I>II III>IV>I>II III>IV>I>II Vomerine teeth Present Present Present Finger and toe discs Prominent Prominent Prominent Skin of dorsum Smooth dark green with few Smooth dark green with few Smooth and Olive in color irregular dark-brown spots irregular dark-brown spots Snout shape Bluntly rounded Bluntly rounded Broadly round Lip Stripe White White White Toe webbing Fully webbed Fully webbed Complete Finger webbing Absent Absent - Inter-nasal distance 10.46−10.69 10.58 ± 0.09 6.70−7.51 7.14 ± 0.34 - Distance between eye 8.78−8.97 8.88 ± 0.07 6.31−6.22 6.01 ± 0.28 - - and nostril Length of first finger 15.93−16.28 16.11± 0.13 10.10−11.34 10.79 ± 0.53 - - Length of second 13.66−13.96 13.82± 0.11 8.78−9.81 9.34 ± 0.44 - - finger Length of femur 49.23−50.32 49.81 ± 0.41 31.26−35.02 33.30 ± 1.59 - - Length of tibia 60.36−61.70 61.10 ± 0.50 38.28−42.92 40.85 ± 1.99 - - Length of tarsus 30.24−31.20 30.57 ± 1.02 19.00−21.40 20.34 ± 1.05 - - Tibia-tarsus Beyond the snout Beyond the snout - - articulation Heel overlapping Overlap Overlap - - Maxillary teeth Present on upper jaw Present on upper jaw - - Tongue shape Bifid Bifid - - Pupil shape Horizontal Horizontal - - Canthus rostralis Depressed Depressed - - Skin of ventral Off white Off white - -

marmoratus and Megophrys sp. Leptobrachium smithi whilst taking morphometric measurements. and Microhyla berdmorei. Although this report confirms the occurrence of O. Wet frogs produced an odiferous secretion that caused livida based on morphometric data and photographic itching and swollen fingers of the handler for a period evidence, the presence of the species in Bangladesh of 4 hours. (Fig. 1C). Frogs did not secrete anything should be confirmed with molecular data. noticeable from the skin when they were gently handled 520 Md. Kamrul Hasan �� al.

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