# 133 frog leg 21 November 2017 TAILLESS AMPHIBIANS A Checklist of Anurans (Class: Amphibia) in Nilgiris, Western Ghats, Southern India Globally, there are about 7,356 known amphibian species belonging to three living orders (Frost 2015). In India there are 405 species of amphibians out of this 239 species known from the Western Ghats (Dinesh et al. 2017). India has a unique assemblage of flora and fauna due to the subcontinent’s successive and prolonged periods of isolation (Roelants et al. 2004). Western Ghats, one of the 34 biodiversity hotspots of the World (Myers et al. 2000; Conservation International 2005) is exceptionally rich in amphibian diversity. The amphibians of the Western Ghats are enigmatic and new species are being described with astonishing frequency. Amphibians are vital components of a healthy environment. Presence of a good population of amphibians in a region is an indication of a healthy environment (Gururaja et al., 2008). The amphibians particularly are more sensitive to chemical pollutants due to their bimodal habitat (land and water) and the absorbing nature of their skin (Roy, 2002). Amphibian populations are declining (Alford & Richards 1999) due to various reason such as diseases (Haulahan et al. 2000), increased exposure to UVB radiation (Kiesecker et al. 2001), impact of urbanization (Ghate & Padhye 1996), habitat destruction (Daniels 1991 &1995), pollution and specimen hunting (Daniels 1991). India has more threatened amphibian species than any other country in the Indo Malayan realm (Bain et al. 2005). Moreover, biodiversity of the Western Ghats is under threat due to deforestation (Myers 1990). The decline in amphibian population is a major concern throughout the world (Dalto & Diego, 2000; Simon et al. 2004). In Tamil Nadu a total of 77 species of amphibians are known to occur, that belonging to 11 families and 25 genera as per the checklist of Dinesh & Rhadhakrishnan (2009). There are 11 species of amphibians were described from Nilgiris, that belonging to 4 families, 5 genera. Out of this except Indosylvirana flavescens (Biju et.al., 2014), all 10 species were described from Nilgiris, some of them are recently described, Micrixalus phyllophilus and Micrixalus spelunca (Biju et.al., 2014), Nyctibatrachus indraneili (Biju et al., 2011), Ghatixalus variabilis (Biju et. al., 2008), Raorchestes coonoorensis, R. signatus, R. tinniens (Biju & Bossuyt, 2009), R. ravii and R. thodai (Zachariah et al., 2011), Raorchestes primarrumpfi (Vijayakumar et al., 2014). However, after recent addition to the amphibian fauna of the Western Ghats, an updated comprehensive checklist of the amphibians of Nilgiris is needed. The list of species is based on species records taken during two years of field survey in Nilgiris and Zoo’s Print Vol. 32 | No. 11 1 # 133 frog leg 21 November 2017 an exhaustive review of literature published. We hope that the checklist here will assist those working with amphibians in the Nilgiris and hope that this specific checklist will be replicated as presence and absence data for amphibians of many other areas of the Nilgiris is currently lacking. Study Area The present study conducted in parts of Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu. It is elongated in the East - west direction and bounded by 11030’&11015’N latitude & 76045’&77000’E longitude. The total areal extent of the district is around 2551 km2 and is one of the smallest districts in the state. The district is bounded by the states on the west by Kerala, on the north by Karnataka and on the southeast and south by Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. Major part of the district is under forest cover (56%), about 20% of the district is under plantation crops. Average annual rainfall of the district is more than 3500mm. During summer the temperature reaches a maximum of 250C and a minimum of 100C. During winter the temperature maximum is 200C and the minimum 00C and mean relative humidity is between 75.8 and 76.9%. Natural vegetation in this district is varied and diverse, harbouring many rare, endemic, endangered Map showing location of study sites and threatened species of flora and fauna and occupies an enviable position in Wildlife conservation, in as much as it bears two significant protected areas viz.,the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) and the Mukurthi Table 1: Comparative account of numbers of genus and species of amphibians recorded from Nilgiris National Park (MNP). The study sites includes Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri, S. No. Family Genus Species Gudalur, Emerald, Mudumalai Tiger 1 Bufonidae 1 2 Reserve,Mukurthi National Park,Sigur 2 Dicroglossidae 4 5 Plateau. 3 Micrixalidae 1 2 4 Microhylidae 2 5 Methodology Field work carried out in different 5 Nyctibatrachidae 1 2 sites of the Nilgiris (such as, Ooty, 6 Ranidae 3 3 Coonoor, Kotagiri, Gudalur, Emerald, 7 Rhacophoridae 5 12 Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Mukurthi Zoo’s Print Vol. 32 | No. 11 2 # 133 frog leg 21 November 2017 Zoo’s Print Zoo’s Table 2: Checklist of Amphibians in Nilgiris, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu S. Scientific Names Common Name Locality Altitude Habitat IUCN Status No Bufonidae Gray, 1825 1 Duttaphrynus melanostictus Common Indian Toad Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri, Emerald, 942 -2465 m Human habitat, Grass land, LC (Schneider 1799) Gudalur, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Shola, Agriculture Mukurthi National Park, Avalanche 2 Duttaphrynus microtympanum Small-eared Toad Emerald, Avalanche 1983 m Grassland VU (Boulenger 1882) Dicroglossidae Anderson, 1871 3 Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis Indian skipper frog Gudalur 942 m LC (WPA Sch IV) (Schneider, 1799) Ponds, Pools & stagnant water Vol. 32|No.11 Vol. 4 Hoplobatrachus tigerinus (Daudin, Indian Bull Frog Gudalur 942 m Paddy fields LC (WPA Sch. IV & 1802) CITES App.II) 5 Sphaerotheca rolandae Roland’s Burrowing Mudumalai Tiger Reserve 925 m Small burrows LC (Dubois, 1983) Frog 6 Fejervarya nilagirica (Jerdon, 1854) Nilgiri Cricket Frog Ooty, Emerald, Avalanche 1983 - Human habitat, EN (WPA Sch. IV) 2244 m Agriculture, Shola 7 Fejervarya syhadrensis (Annandale, Hill Cricket Frog HIll Masinagudi 937 m Riverine patches LC 1919) Micrixalidae Dubois, Ohler and Biju, 2001 8 Micrixalus phyllophilus (Jerdon, Pink-thighed Torrent Mukurthi National Park, Kotagiri, 1983 -2284 m Grassland, Shola VU 1853) Frog Emerald, Avalanche 9 Micrixalus spelunca Cave dancing frog Coonoor 1850 m Cave NE (Biju, Garg, Gururaja, Souche and Walujkar, 2014) Microhylidae Gunther, 1858 (1843) 10 Uperodon taprobanicus (Parker, Srilankan Painted Masinagudi 937m Riverine patches LC 1934) frog 3 # 133 frog leg 21 November 2017 Zoo’s Print Zoo’s S. Scientific Names Common Name Locality Altitude Habitat IUCN Status No 11 Microhyla ornata Ornate Narrow Sigur Plateau 900 m Riverine patches LC (Dumeril and Bibron, 1841) Mouthed frog 12 Microhyla rubra (Jerdon, 1854) Red Narrow mouthed Mudumalai Tiger Reserve 925 m Riverine patches LC frog 13 Uperodon triangularis (Gunther, Malabar Dot Frog Ooty, Mukurthi National Park, 1983 -2244 m Shola VU 1875) Emerald, Avalanche 14 Uperodon systoma (Schneider, Marbled Mudumalai Tiger Reserve 925 m River side areas LC 1799) Balloon Frog (WPA Sch. IV) Nyctibatrachidae Blommers-Schlosser, 1993 15 Nyctibatrachus indraneili (Biju, Indraneil Night frog Kotagiri 1863 m Shola NE Bocxlaer, Mahony, Dinesh, Radhakrishnan, Zachariah, Giri and Vol. 32|No.11 Vol. Bossuyt 2011) 16 Nyctibatrachus vrijeuni (Biju, VUB Night Frog Kotagiri, Coonoor 1800 m Shola NE Bocxlaer, Mahony, Dinesh, Radhakrishnan, Zachariah, Giri and Bossuyt 2011) Ranidae Rafinesque, 1814 17 Clinotarsus curtipes (Jeron, 1853) Bi-Coloured frog Mudumalai Tiger Reserve 925 m River side areas NT 18 Indosylvirana flavescens (Jeron, Yellowish Golden- Masinagudi 937 m Riverrine patches NT 1853) backed frog 19 Hydrophylax malabaricus (Tschudi Malabar Fungoid Mudumalai Tiger Reserve 925 m Riverine patches LC 1838) Frog Rhacophoridae Hoffman,1932 20 Ghatixalus variabilis (Jerdon, 1853) Green Tree Frog Ooty, Mukurthi National Park, 925-2284 m Grasslands, Shola EN Emerald 21 Polypedates maculatus (Gray, 1834) Common Indian tree Mudumalai Tiger Reserve 925 m On bushes & trees LC frog 22 Pseudophilautus wynaadensis Wynaad bush frog Mudumalai Tiger Reserve 925 m Bushes EN (Jerdon, 1853) 4 # 133 frog leg 21 November 2017 Zoo’s Print Zoo’s S. Scientific Names Common Name Locality Altitude Habitat IUCN Status No 23 Raorchestes charius Seshachar’s Bush Emerald Avalanche 1983 m Shola EN (Rao, 1937) Frog 24 Raorchestes coonoorensis (Biju and Coonoor Bush Frog Coonoor, 1850 -2083 m Riverside areas LC Bossuyt, 2009) Emerald 25 Raorchestes ponmudi (Biju and Large ponmudi bush Gudalur 950 m Tea bushes CR Bossuyt, 2005) Frog 26 Raorchestes primarrumpfi - Avalanche 2013 m Grassland NE (Vijayakumar, Dinesh, Prabhu and Shanker, 2014) Vol. 32|No.11 Vol. 27 Raorchestes ravii (Zachariah, Ravi’s Bush Frog Ooty, Emerald, Mukurthi National 1983- 2284 m Grassland, Shola NE Dinesh, Kunhikrishnan, Das, Raju, Park, Avalanche Radhakrishnan, Palot & Kalesh, 2011) 28 Raorchestes signatus (Boulenger, Star-eyed Bush Frog Ooty, Emerald , Kotagiri, Mukurthi 1863 -2465 m Human habitat, EN 1882) National Park, Avalanche Agriculture, Grassland, Shola 29 Raorchestes thodai Thoda Bush Frog Ooty, Emerald , Mukurthi National 1863–2465 m Human habitat, Grassland, NE (Zachariah, Dinesh, Kunhikrishnan, Park, Avalanche Shola Das, Raju, Radhakrishnan, Palot & Kalesh, 2011) 30 Raorchestes tinniens (Jerdon, 1853) Nilgiri Bush Frog Ooty, Emerald, Kotagiri, Mukurthi 1863–2465 m Human habitat, EN National Park, Avalanche Agriculture, Grassland,