Assessment Results
Indirana beddomii
Order:
Anura
Family:
Ranixalidae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
India
on:
09 Oct 2020
by:
AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop
Authors:
Gururaja K.V., Keerthi Krutha and Nikhil Modak
IUCN Global Red List:
Least Concern (LC)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
India
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
25.36097968
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.] | Least Concern (LC) | Was previously listed as Endangered. |
| 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? | Yes / probably | This species was previously thought to have a wide distribution in the Western Ghats in India. It occurs in the Western Ghats state of Kerala in India, north of Palghat gap at Kakkayam, Settukunnu and Suganthagiri, and south of Palghat gap at Sairandhri in Silent Valley, Kuddam in Siruvani and Pattiar in Siruvani (Garg and Biju 2016). At least 50% of the population of this species occurs in Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary, and it may occur into southern Karnataka (Nikhil Modak, pers. comm. October 2020). It ranges between 752-1,200 m asl (Garg and Biju 2016, Nikhil Modak, pers. comm. October 2020). |
| 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 species occurs in Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary. |
| 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 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 is required on its distribution, and the effects of Bd and climate change. Population monitoring is also recommended. |
| 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 is not present in cultivated areas, however it has been found within secondary forests. It can tolerate a degree of habitat disturbance (Nikhil Modak, pers. comm. October 2020). The main threat to this species is the loss of forested areas following conversion to large-scale, commercial agricultural land (including tea plantations), and harvesting of wood and timber by local people for subsistence purposes is a minor threat. Linear infrastructure development is a major threat, along with the development of structures to prevent rockslides which will affect the rock crevice breeding habitats for this species (Nikhil Modak and Keerthi Krutha, pers. comm. October 2020). Tourism will cause species disturbance within this species range, and road mortalities are also a problem. Noise pollution may be an issue for this species and interfere with their acoustic activity (Nikhil Modak and Keerthi Krutha, pers. comm. October 2020). Climate change is a potential future threat, with habitat shifting being a problem, although it does occur at slightly lower elevations than others in the genus, and shifts in the monsoon season which will affect breeding activity (Nikhil Modak, pers. comm. October 2020). This species has tested positive for Bd, but further studies are required to investigate the full effects on this species (India RLA/CNA workshop, 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 | |
| 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 considered to be a common species (Nikhil Modak, 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.)? | No aspect of biology known to be exceptional | This species has semi-aquatic tadpoles that develop outside of waterbodies on wet rocks and mosses, and have long tails and hindlimbs which develop earlier compared to other anuran species (Nikhil Modak and K.V. Gururaja pers. comm. 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? | No / unlikely | If needed, Indirana gundia would be a good potential analog (Nikhil Modak, pers. comm. October 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? | 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)? | Yes | This form is a complex of more than one species that requires urgent taxonomic revision. |
Citation:
Gururaja K.V., Keerthi Krutha and Nikhil Modak 2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Indirana beddomii, India
(AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop).
https://www.conservationneeds.org/assessment/6817
Accessed 19 May 2024
