The genus Nanorana, also called Yunnan Slow Frogs (Frank & Ramus 1995), belongs to the family Dicroglossidae. Murree Hills Frog N. vicina, is an endemic species of Southeast Asian uplands in Pakistan and India and was first reported by Stoliczka (1872) from Murree, Punjab Province, Pakistan. Later Rais et al. (2014) recaptured it from its type locality and described morphology of one juvenile female and one adult male. The species is listed as Least Concern in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species while the EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) score is 2.64. In Pakistan, it is reported from brook water springs and streams of Murree, Galiat (North Punjab), Ayubia (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), and parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Rais et al. 2014). Although the adult form has been characterized (Khan 2006; Rais et al. 2014), the morphology of the tadpoles have not yet been described. The current study aimed to describe external morphology and morphometry of tadpoles of N. vicina.
Endemic anurans are particularly vulnerable to environmental changes, and are susceptible to population declines because of their restricted distribution ranges. The Murree Hills Frog Nanorana vicina and Hazara Torrent Frog Allopaa hazarensis are associated with the torrential streams and nearby clear water pools in subtropical chir pine forest and other forest types, at elevations higher than 1000 m in Pakistan. In this study, we have provided data on the extent of movement of these frog species for the first time. We installed radio transmitters on a total of 13 Murree Hills Frogs and 13 Hazara Torrent Frogs during eight consecutive days in September 2017 and 2018. Our results showed that these frogs did not move long distances along the stream or away from the stream into the forest. All the radio-tracked frogs showed movement of < 3 m. We found a significant differences only in the distance moved by Murree Hills Frogs between the two years studied. Based on our findings, we propose a movement paradigm that focuses on conservation implications for these endemic frogs.
We recorded tadpoles of eight anuran species from subtropical scrub and pine forests (District Rawalpindi and Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan). These include Duttaphrynus melanostictus, Duttaphrynus stomaticus, Microhyla nilphamariensis, Euphlyctis spp., Minervarya spp., Allopaa hazarensis, Nanorana vicina, and Hoplobatrachus tigerinus. Our results showed that the forest type featuring scrub vegetation, low elevation and warmer climate (day air temperature 30°C, day water temperature 28°C) had more species richness (six of the eight recorded species) while the subtropical pine forest featuring relatively low air (16°C) and water (14°C) temperatures and higher elevation had relatively higher anuran endemism. The Indus Valley Toad is an abundant species throughout scrub forest. Changes in climate resulting in increased temperatures in pine forests could negatively impact endemic species by encouraging the spread of species adapted for warmer temperatures.
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