ABSTRACT Taxonomic Nomenclature Is the “Common Vocabulary” for Scientific Communications

i ABSTRACT Taxonomic nomenclature is the “common vocabulary” for scientific communications. Accurate sharing of information, whether for casual communication or for precise research, is possible because of this fundamental building block. Thus scientific naming of an organism is the vital step before in depth studies. However, before “naming” an organism, someone has to find the organism and “know” the organism. This traditionally has been the preserve of natural history studies. Though this line of study is centuries old, it still has relevance. Combining classical natural history with molecular techniques, we see new species of large animals emerging: surprisingly even animals as large as primate, tiger and leopard. The central message appears to be that the species hunt must go on with a combination of old and new methods. My species hunt has been primarily in the Western Ghats. My target has always been amphibians. Species level identification in amphibians is vital for studies on patterns of evolutionary diversification and biogeography. It also provides the methodology for assessing conservation needs and rationale for assigning conservation priorities. Intensive and focused surveys has yielded recognized extant amphibian species all over the world, especially from Malesia, Madagascar and Sri Lanka. However, the potential biological spendour of amphibian fauna in the Western Ghats did not get such systematic attention. I started my field surveys in the Ghats against the backdrop of taxonomic confusion - there were only a few reliable taxonomic publications for field identification. I started my research with several questions. How many frog species are there in the Western Ghats? Could all the species be identified using morphological traits alone? How many of them occur in other biogeographical regions? What parameters are practically useful for identification? Can reproductive behaviors and developmental pathways be used for taxonomic identification? How safe are these fauna in the rapidly depleting habitat of the Western Ghats? To answer these questions, I explored possible approaches and tools. My list ran as follows – molecular phylogeny, creating profiles of reproductive behaviour and developmental mode and of course data on morphological parameters. My study describes 35 taxonomic novelties ranging from new family-Nasikabatrachidae- (Chapter 2), two new genera- Ghatixalus and Anamisa (Chapter 3 and Chapter 4), 18 new species including systematic revision of the genus Philautus (Chapter 5), 14 new species including systematic revision of the genus Nyctibatrachus (Chapter 6). My study opened the fascinating world of reproductive and developmental mode of anurans. At least eight new reproductive modes and four new reproductive strategies were observed, and many of them are in the process of formal documentation. In Chapter 4 a new reproductive mode and its phylogenic implications is discussed. The study also showed a major cause for concern. There were strong indications that the natural home ranges of several narrow endemic species were depleting. The last Chapter (Chapter 7) presents a conservation prioritization of Western Ghats frogs by using IUCN global criteria. A comprehensive reference book on the Western Biju, S.D. | Frog systematics and Conservation in the Western Ghats 2 Ghats frogs (may be amphibians) is a critical need. It is my ambition to produce it. This research is first step to realize this ambition. We now live in a ‘century of extinctions’. To halt, reverse or at least reduce this march of extinctions, we need to bring in whatever that could work. I hope that my research will be a specific contribution in the wider efforts of conservation. I am encouraged by the new interest in Amphibian research in the Western Ghats. My research will continue; research in the Ghats can only be handed over – not concluded. Sathyabhama Das Biju (SD Biju) July 2007 .

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