Assessment Results
Uperodon systoma
Balloon Frog, Globular Frog, Indistinct Frog
Order:
Anura
Family:
Microhylidae
Synonym(s):
Rana systoma, Engystoma marmoratum, Pachybatrachus, Systoma leschenaultii, Uperodon marmoratum
Assessed for:
India
on:
28 Sep 2020
by:
AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop
Authors:
Nikhil Dandekar, S.R. Ganesh, Krishna K., Pratyush P. Mohapatra, Dr Anand Padhy, Harshil Patel, Prudhvi Raj Gunturu, Chelmala Srinivasulu and Shauri Sulakhe
IUCN Global Red List:
Least Concern (LC)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
22.79908808
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
Listed in Gupta et al (2015) as a species for husbandry capacity-building at Chennai Snake Park, Chennai; Tata Steel Zoological Park, Jamshedpur; and Bhagwan Birsa Zoological Park, Ranchi.
| Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
| 1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Least Concern (LC) | |
| 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 species is widespread in South Asia, and is found throughout much of peninsular India, northwestern and northern India (along the foothills), and has also been recorded from northeastern Pakistan (Shakarparian Hills, Islamabad), Nepal and northern and southeastern Sri Lanka. Records since the 2004 assessment include Himanchal Pradesh (Mehta 2005), central Rajasthan (Sharma and Sharma 2009) and Hyderabad (Seetharamaraju et al. 2010), all in India. It also occurs in Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh in India (Pratyush P. Mohapatra pers. comm. August 2020). It is present from sea level up to approximately 1,000 m asl (Pakistan). |
| 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 | |
| 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 | This wide-ranging species presumably occurs in several protected areas. |
| 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.)? | No / unlikely | |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | More information is needed on this species' distribution, population status, and ecology, including biology. |
| 10 | Threat mitigation | Are the threats facing the taxon, including any new and emerging threats not considered in the IUCN Red List, potentially reversible? | Species does not require conservation action at this time | Specimens have been observed in dry forest areas, grasslands, scrublands, fallow lands, plains, home gardens and low-intensity agricultural areas. The main threats to this species are the loss of suitable habitat to increasing urbanization and the pollution of both land and wetlands with agrochemicals. It has been seen around houses (Pratyush P. Mohapatra pers. comm. August 2020). Road mortalities during the breeding season (India RLA/CNA workshop, 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 | Little is known about the population status of this species. The range is contiguous and populations might generally be stable. In Sri Lanka and in Gujarat, India, the species is regarded as common in its preferred habitat, whilst in Pakistan it is considered rare. It is widespread in india and is commonly found in the breeding season (India RLA/CNA workshop, 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 | |
| 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? | 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? | No | |
| 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. This could be a species complex (India RLA/CNA workshop, 2020). |
Citation:
Nikhil Dandekar, S.R. Ganesh, Krishna K., Pratyush P. Mohapatra, Dr Anand Padhy, Harshil Patel, Prudhvi Raj Gunturu, Chelmala Srinivasulu and Shauri Sulakhe 2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Uperodon systoma, India
(AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop).
https://www.conservationneeds.org/assessment/5729
Accessed 18 May 2024
