Assessment Results
Raorchestes ochlandrae
Ochlandrae Reed Frog
Order:
Anura
Family:
Rhacophoridae
Synonym(s):
Philautus ochlandrae, Pseudophilautus ochlandrae
Assessed for:
India
on:
27 Oct 2020
by:
AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop
Authors:
Gururaja K.V., Sandeep Das, Seshadri K.S. and Karthikeyan Vasudevan
IUCN Global Red List:
Data Deficient (DD)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
India
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
18.03724571
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 | |
| 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 species was previously only known from the Kakkayam Forest Reserve in Calicut District, Kerala State, in the Western Ghats of southern India , at around 700 m asl (Gururaja et al. 2007) to 1,200m (Seshadri K.S., pers. comm. October 2020). It is now known from Eravikulam National Park (Das et al. 2018), Banasura Dam area, Wayanad, Pookode Lake, Wayanaad, Kera (Seshadri K.S. and KV Gururaja, pers. comm. October 2020) in Kerala State, and Madikeri, Coorg and Kadumane Estate, Sakleshpur, Hassan District, both in Karnataka (Seshadri K.S. and KV Gururaja, pers. comm. October 2020). It is also known from the edge of Bhadra Tiger Reserve, Karnataka (Gururaja KV, pers. comm.), and so it possibly occurs within Bhadra Tiger Reserve, but this needs to be confirmed (Seshadri KS, pers. comm. October 2020). The species is most unlikely to be endemic to the Calicut district, and indeed it seems probable to it occurs in the Anamalai Hills of Kerala (Karthikeyan Vasudevan and S.D. Biju, pers comm. to K.V. Gururaja). |
| 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 | It is restricted to reed brakes (dense stands) in bamboo habitats (Seshadri K.S., pers. comm. October 2020). |
| 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 occurs in the Kakkayam Forest Reserve Reserve (Gururaja et al. 2007). It is also present in the protected area of Eravikulam National Park (Das et al. 2018). |
| 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 | Improved protection of remaining habitat in the range of this species is recommended. |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Surveys are needed to determine the geographic range, abundance, ecological requirements, threats and conservation needs of this species. In particular, work is needed to confirm whether or not it occurs in the Anamalai Hills of Kerala. |
| 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 | The habitat of this species in the Kakkayam Forest Reserve Reserve is being fragmented and reduced in area as a result of dam construction and other related activities (Gururaja et al. 2007), including: clearing of forest for access roads, power lines, and pipelines; cutting of the reeds to provide temporary shelters for the construction work force; and cutting of the reeds for fuel wood for the construction workers (K.V. Gururaja, pers. comm.). The bamboo is also harvested at a local level for fencing, instruments (flutes), decorative items and bamboo shoot pickles, and this is a major threat, especially when it is collected in the breeding season (Seshadri K.S., pers. comm. October 2020). The bamboo is also removed to prevent the obstruction of the view of the dam, as this is an area of high tourism (Seshadri KS, pers. comm. October 2020). This species is reliant on holes made by the Nilgiri Palm Squirrel (Funambulus sublineatus) to inhabit the bamboo, and any declines in the the squirrel population will be detrimental to this species (Seshadri K.S., pers. comm. October 2020). It seems that this species can survive wherever there are Ochlandra reed brakes, including in open habitats in the surrounding landscape. It is unlikely to tolerate habitat disturbance (Seshadri KS, pers. comm. October 2020). It is unknown whether climate change could be a potential future threat for this species (Seshadri K.S., pers. comm. October 2020). Bd has been confirmed in the genus but it is not known if it is a threat (Seshadri K.S., pers. comm. October 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 | The bamboo in which it lives is being over-harvested and the frogs are inadvertently also collected (Seshadri K.S. and Sandeep Das, pers. comm. October 2020). |
| 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 appears to be an uncommon species. Groups of 10-15 individuals have been located in in stands of Ochlandra reed brakes with an area of 0.25ha (50m X 50m) (K.V. Gururaja, pers. comm.). In other nearby localities (at lower elevations, in other habitats such as canopy forests), the call of the species could not be heard (K.V. Gururaja, pers. comm.). It no longer exists at the type locality as the bamboo was removed in 2014-2015 (Seshadri K.S., pers. comm. October 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.)? | Aspect of biology shared with < 6 other species | This species has parental care by the male, and they breed in bamboo, which is a novel anuran reproductive strategy (Seshadri et al 2015). |
| 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? | Yes | This species requires holes in bamboo to breed in, and the holes are made by an endangered squirrel species (Nilgiri Palm Squirrel, Funambulus sublineatus) (Seshadri et al. 2018). If needed, this species could be used as a husbandry analog for Raorchestes chalazodes as it shares a similar breeding biology (Gururaja KV, pers. comm. October 2020) and this species is more widely distributed than R. chalazodes (Seshadri KS, pers. comm. October 2020), and also for Raorchestes flaviocularis (Sandeep Das, pers. comm. October 2020). |
| 21 | Captive breeding | Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity? | Not held in captivity to date | |
| 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 | Potential flagship ranking: 3 (tourist), (Kanagavel et al. 2017). Males exhibit parental care and they breed in bamboo (Seshadri KS, pers. comm. October 2020). |
| 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 | Females would be hard to find, but egg clutches would be easier to collect (Seshadri KS, pers. comm. October 2020). |
| 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. Further genetic confirmation of some species is required due to wide varying coloration (Seshadri K.S., pers. comm. October 2020). |
Citation:
Gururaja K.V., Sandeep Das, Seshadri K.S. and Karthikeyan Vasudevan 2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Raorchestes ochlandrae, India
(AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop).
https://www.conservationneeds.org/assessment/5689
Accessed 20 May 2024
