Assessment Results
Xanthophryne koynayensis
Koyna Toad, Humbali Village Toad
Order:
Anura
Family:
Bufonidae
Synonym(s):
Bufo koynayensis, Bufo sulphureus, Beduka koynayensis
Assessed for:
India
on:
16 Sep 2020
by:
AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop
Authors:
Nikhil Danddekar, Priti Hebbar, Amit Hegde, Girish KG, Krishna Komanduri, Nikhil Modak, Dr. Anand Padhye, Harshil Patel and Gayathri Sreedharan
IUCN Global Red List:
Endangered (EN)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
India
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
14.72782931
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.] | Endangered (EN) | |
| 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? | Yes / probably | This species was previously only known from two localities (Koyna and Amboli) in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India. Specimens have been recorded at elevations between 900-1,200 m asl. However the records from Amboli have now been reassigned to Xanthophryne tigerina (Biju, S.D.; Van Bocxlaer, Ines; Giri, Varad B.; Loader, Simon P.; Bossuyt, Franky (2009). "Two new endemic genera and a new species of toad (Anura: Bufonidae) from the Western Ghats of India". BMC Research Notes. 2: 241. doi:10.1186/1756-0500-2-241). It is now known from Sahyadri Tiger Reserve and Barki in Kolhapur District (Nikhil Danddekar and Dr. Anand Padhye, pers. comm. September 2020). It has been reported from Shirala in Sangli District, Maharashtra State (Sajjan et al. 2017), however there is uncertainty around this record as the location does not include the habitat required by the species and it is not included in the distribution map (India RLA/CNA workshop, September 2020). It is likely to be restricted to its current range and will not be found elsewhere (India RLA/CNA workshop, September 2020). Specimens have been recorded at elevations between 800 and 1,300 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? | No / unlikely | This species requires very specific habitat, which is reducing outside of the protected habitats (Nikhil Danddekar, pers. comm. September 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 has been recorded from the Konya Wild Life Sanctuary but expanded protection of forest habitats in the species' range is needed. |
| 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 | Expanded protection of forest habitats in the species' range is needed. |
| 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 is needed into the range and breeding biology of this species, along with population monitoring, and research on the effect of threats on the species and its habitat is required (India RLA/CNA workshop, September 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 | The main threat to this species is habitat loss due to agriculture and clear cutting of forests. Bauxite mining is a major threat to this species (India RLA/CNA workshop, September 2020). Resort development has already resulted in the loss of a local population of the species from Koynanagar (Nikhil Danddekar, pers. comm. September 2020). Climate change can also be a threat as the drying out of water bodies within the monsoon season has resulted in the death of tadpoles, and also if rainfall is reduced, the males stop calling, and they cease to breed (Dr. Anand Padhye, pers. comm. September 2020). It is possible to mitigate some of the threats related to tourism, but others, such as climate change, are unlikely to be reversed (India RLA/CNA workshop, September 2020). Bd has not yet been detected in this species, despite swabs being collected (Nikhil Danddekar, pers. comm. September 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 niche-restricted, but it is quite common in the areas where it is found (Dr. Anand Padhye, pers. comm. September 2020). Due to the development of a tourist resort, the subpopulation in Koynanagar has become locally extinct (Nikhil Danddekar, pers. comm. September 2020). Each subpopulation exists in isolated subpopulations, and there is no genetic dispersal between these (India RLA/CNA workshop, September 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 | Multiple males will often mount a single female, sometimes resulting in many of them drowning as they form a "ball" of frogs (Nikhil Danddekar, pers. comm. September 2020). It develops a very bright coloration during the breeding season. This species requires a very distinct habitat (India RLA/CNA workshop, September 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? | Yes / probably | This species requires a very distinct habitat (India RLA/CNA workshop, September 2020). Duttaphrynus, hololius, D. melanostictus or D. stomaticus could be potential husbandry analogs (Benjamin Tapley and Karthikeyan Vasudevan, pers. comm. December 2020). |
| 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? | Yes | Potential flagship ranking: 4 (tourist), 2 (conservation practitioner), (Kanagavel et al. 2017). Also noted that it would be a potential flagship species for ferricrete plateaus (Dr. Anand Padhye, pers. comm. September 2020). This is a high conservation priority species (India RLA/CNA workshop, September 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 | |
| 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)? | Yes | This is now a valid species and recent taxonomic work has been completed, with the publication in press (Dr. Anand Padhye, pers. comm. September 2020). |
Citation:
Nikhil Danddekar, Priti Hebbar, Amit Hegde, Girish KG, Krishna Komanduri, Nikhil Modak, Dr. Anand Padhye, Harshil Patel and Gayathri Sreedharan 2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Xanthophryne koynayensis, India
(AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop).
https://www.conservationneeds.org/assessment/5743
Accessed 19 May 2024
