Assessment Results
Hydrophylax bahuvistara
Wide-spread Fungoid Frog
Order:
Anura
Family:
Ranidae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
India
on:
23 Nov 2020
by:
AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop
Authors:
Nikhil Dandekar, Prudhvi Raj Gunturu, Nikhil Modak, Dr Anand Padhy, Chelmala Srinivasulu and Karthikeyan Vasudevan
IUCN Global Red List:
Not Evaluated (NE)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
India
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
28.83758293
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
| Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
| 1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Data Deficient (DD) | |
| 2 | Possibly extinct | Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 3 | Phylogenetic significance | The taxon’s Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) score, as generated by the ZSL EDGE program. (These data are not editable by Assessors). | ED value 20 - 50 | |
| 4 | Protected habitat | Is a population of at least 50% of the individuals of the taxon included within a well-managed or reliably protected area or areas? | No / unlikely | This fungoid frog is widely distributed in peninsular India, where it has been recorded in multiple sites in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and Madhya Pradesh (Kurabayashi et al. 2005, Biju et al. 2014, Hasan et al. 2014, Padhye et al. 2015). It is present in the protected area Bhondala Wildlife Sanctuary (IUCN and UNEP-WCMC 2020). This species is also reported from Central Nallamala Hills in Andhra Pradesh (Srinivasulu, C. & I. Das, 2008) and Godavari River Basin in Telangana State and Chhattisgarh (Chelmala Srinivasulu pers. comm. August 2020). It is found in Baripada and Bherampur in Orissa state (Prudhvi Raj Gunturu, pers. comm. August 2020). In the Eastern Ghats, most of its distribution is in protected areas (Prudhvi Raj Gunturu, pers. comm. August 2020). It may occur more widely in the Eastern Ghats and Central Indian forests (Dr Anand Padhy pers. comm. August 2020). In the Western Ghats it is found in Tamhini Wildlife Sanctuary (Nikhil Modak, pers. comm. September 2020). It ranges between 0 and 1,100 m asl. |
| 5 | Habitat for reintroduction, conservation translocation or supplementation | Does enough well-managed and reliably protected habitat exist, either within or outside of currently protected areas that is suitable for conservation translocation, including population restoration or conservation introduction? | Yes / probably | Enough habitat is available, but the species is widespread, and the need for reintroduction is unlikely. |
| 6 | Previous reintroductions | Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species? | No | |
| 7 | In situ conservation activities | Are any in situ conservation actions currently in place for this species? (Only required if a Red List Assessment has not been completed, or if new actions have been implemented since the last Red List Assessment. (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.). | Yes / probably | It is present in many protected areas, including the Bhondala Wildlife Sanctuary and Tamhini Wildlife Sanctuary. It probably occurs in other protected areas (Nikhil Dandekar, pers. comm. August 2020). |
| 8 | In situ conservation activities | Are additional in situ conservation actions required to help conserve this species in the wild (e.g. habitat restoration and/or protection, control of invasive species, national legislation etc.)? | Yes / probably | Further habitat protection is required. |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Further research required on taxonomy, distribution and ecology, population status and trends (India RLA/CNA workshop, 2020). |
| 10 | Threat mitigation | Are the threats facing the taxon, including any new and emerging threats not considered in the IUCN Red List, potentially reversible? | Threats are likely to be reversible in time frame to prevent further decline / extinction | It can be found in semi-evergreen forest on the floor, leaf litter, and near temporary and permanent water bodies (Padhye et al. 2015, Sajjan et al. 2017). It inhabits urban areas, paddy and sugar cane agricultural fields (Padhye et al. 2015, Sajjan et al. 2017), although the population declines in these areas. There are some microhabitat changes occurring, which might have an affect on the species persistence (Chelmala Srinivasulu, pers. comm. August 2020). The species is sometimes found near houses in the Western Ghats although it doesn't survive well in these areas (Dr Anand Padhy pers. comm. August 2020). In the Western Ghats, urbanisation, bauxite mining and development is a threat to this species. Road mortalities are also thought to be a major threat in the Western Ghats (Nikhil Modak, pers. comm. August 2020). In the Eastern Ghats, slash and burn agriculture, deforestation, and bauxite mining are threats to this species as it requires canopy cover (Prudhvi Raj Gunturu, Chelmala Srinivasulu and Dr Anand Padhy, pers. comm. August 2020). |
| 11 | Over-collection from the wild | Is the taxon suffering from collection within its natural range, either for food, for the pet trade or for any other reason, which threatens the species’ continued persistence in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 12 | Population recovery | Is the known population of this species in the wild large enough to recover naturally, without ex situ intervention if threats are mitigated? | Yes / probably | It is a common species that is found in good numbers (Dr Anand Padhy pers. comm. August 2020), and in the Eastern Ghats it is patchily distributed (Prudhvi Raj Gunturu, pers. comm. August 2020). |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | No | |
| 14 | Biological distinctiveness | Does the taxon exhibit a distinctive reproductive mode, behaviour, aspect of morphology or physiology, within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.)? | No aspect of biology known to be exceptional | This species secretes a substance named urumin, that protects against viruses. Also noted that the secretion smells very bad (India RLA/CNA workshop, 2020). |
| 15 | Cultural/socio-economic importance | Does the taxon have a special human cultural value (e.g. as a national or regional symbol, in a historic context, featuring in traditional stories) or economic value (e.g. food, traditional medicine, tourism) within its natural range or in a wider global context? | No | |
| 16 | Scientific importance | Is the species vital to current or planned research other than species-specific ecology/biology/conservation within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.) e.g. human medicine, climate change, environmental pollutants and conservation science? | No research dependent on this species | |
| 17 | Ex situ research | Does conserving this species (or closely related species) in situ depend upon research that can be most easily carried out ex situ? | No | |
| 18 | Ex situ conservation activities | Is any ex situ research or other ex situ conservation action currently in place for this species? (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.) | No / unlikely | |
| 19 | Husbandry analog required | If an ex situ rescue program is recommended for this species, would an analog species be required to develop husbandry protocols first? | No / unlikely | |
| 20 | Husbandry analog | Do the biological and ecological attributes of this species make it suitable for developing husbandry regimes for more threatened related species? i.e. could this species be used in captivity to help to develop husbandry and breeding protocols which could be used for a similar, but more endangered species at a later stage? | No | |
| 21 | Captive breeding | Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity? | Maintained but no successful breeding | This is a very difficult species to maintain with other species due to the secretions. It has been housed in laboratories for short periods. It has been known to escape from captivity (Dr Anand Padhy pers. comm. August 2020). |
| 22 | Conservation education/ecotourism potential | Is the species especially diurnal, active or colourful, or is there an interesting or unusual aspect of its ecology that make it particularly suitable to be an educational ambassador for conservation of the species in the range country, either in zoos or aquariums or within ecotourism activities? | Yes | This is a very popular species because of its appearance - it is a medium-sized frog which is very colorful. |
| 23 | Mandate | Is there an existing conservation mandate recommending the ex situ conservation of this taxon? | No | |
| 24 | Range State approval | If an ex situ initiative was proposed for this species, would it be supported (and approved) by the range State (either within the range State or out-of-country ex situ)? | Yes / probably | |
| 25 | Founder specimens | Are sufficient animals of the taxon available or potentially available (from wild or captive sources) to initiate an ex situ program, if one was recommended? | Yes / probably | |
| 26 | Taxonomic status | Has a complete taxonomic analysis of the species in the wild been carried out, to fully understand the functional unit you wish to conserve (i.e. have species limits been determined)? | No | Research into species validity needs to be prioritised. Padhye et al. (2015) considers records for Hydrophylax malabarica Haplogroup 1 from Biju et al. (2014) to belong to Hydrophylax bahuvistara. Due to the widespread range, this might be a species complex (Dr Anand Padhy and Chelmala Srinivasulu pers. comm. August 2020). |
Citation:
Nikhil Dandekar, Prudhvi Raj Gunturu, Nikhil Modak, Dr Anand Padhy, Chelmala Srinivasulu and Karthikeyan Vasudevan 2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Hydrophylax bahuvistara, India
(AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop).
https://www.conservationneeds.org/assessment/5444
Accessed 18 May 2024
