Morphology, natural history and molecular identification of tadpoles of three endemic frog species of<i>Nyctibatrachus</i>Boulenger, 1882 (Anura: Nyctibatrachidae) from Central Western Ghats, India

Priti, Hebbar; Gururaja, KV; Ravikanth, G.

doi:10.1080/00222933.2015.1034212

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and deposited in GenBank (16S Accession numbers MW081889-MW081909, Cyt-b Accession numbers MW762640-MW762665). Two 16S sequences viz adult N. jog (Voucher number BNHS5457) with accession number JN644900 (Van Bocxlaer et al 2012) and tadpole N. jog (Voucher number BNHS5900) with accession number KP317819 (Priti et al 2015) were downloaded from GenBank to confirm the identity of genetic sequences generated in this study. The monophyly of N. jog individuals were analyzed by building phylogenetic tree for 16S rRNA gene using Bayesian inference in Mr Bayes (Ronquist and Huelsenbeck 2003) and Maximum Likelihood methods in RAxMLGUI (Silvestro and Michalak 2012).…”

Section: Molecular Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

DNA barcoding indicates the range extension in an endemic frog Nyctibatrachus jog, from the Western Ghats, India

Priti

Anand

Gururaja

2021

Mitochondrial DNA Part B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The frogs of genus Nyctibatrachus from the Western Ghats are endemic, with some taxa showing a narrow distribution range. Nyctibatrachus jog was known only from the type locality, Jog falls from Sharavathi river basin suggesting a restricted distribution. In this study, using DNA barcoding, we studied the distribution patterns of N. jog by sampling multiple river basins. 16S rRNA and Cytochrome b genes were used to distinguish N. jog from its congeners as well as to infer intra-species relationships. The results from the 16S rRNA gene showed 99% similarity of the collected individuals with the type specimen from Jog Falls confirming the identity of N. jog. The results indicate that N. jog has wide distribution extending its range in multiple river basins in the Western Ghats, India. This study also provides the Area of Occurrence and Extent of Occurrence of N. jog which could help in developing strategies for its conservation.

show abstract

Section: Molecular Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

DNA barcoding indicates the range extension in an endemic frog Nyctibatrachus jog, from the Western Ghats, India

Priti

Anand

Gururaja

2021

Mitochondrial DNA Part B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Species differ in body size and calls (Biju et al, 2011;Garg et al, 2017), the larger body-sized species are adapted to torrents while smaller species are found in leaflitter adjacent to the streams (Van Bocxlaer et al, 2012), suggesting that microhabitats may have an important role in distribution of adult Nyctibatrachus species. For tadpoles, there is lack of data on their ecology and distribution (Priti et al, 2015). To date, only one study has investigated the influence of microhabitat requirements on the tadpoles of N. major (Girish & Krishnamurthy, 2009).…”

Section: The Genus Nyctibatrachus Belonging To the Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The tadpoles after hatching develop in the streams. They have strong tail musculature and complete marginal papillae (Priti et al, 2015). For both adults and tadpoles, there are limited data on the ecological factors associated with their distribution.…”

Section: Species and Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of microhabitat on the distribution of tadpoles of three endemic Nyctibatrachus species (Nyctibatrachidae) from the Western Ghats, India

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Amphibians show a high amount of species richness and endemism. Such diversity can be attributed to their microenvironment as amphibians display fine-scale heterogeneity depending on the microhabitats they inhabit. Tadpoles are considered as good indicators for understanding microhabitat-species association as they reflect the breeding sites and signify species survival potential. In this study, we assessed the microhabitat factors influencing the distribution of tadpoles of three endemic frogs of the genus Nyctibatrachus namely N. jog, N. kempholeyensis, and N. kumbara from central Western Ghats, India. Forty-three streams were sampled from three river basins, and stream characteristics were analyzed using generalized linear models. The results indicate that the tadpoles show specific microhabitat preferences and spatial niche partitioning. Among microhabitat variables, the slope significantly influenced the distribution of tadpoles of N. jog and N. kempholeyensis. The tadpoles of N. jog preferred steep slopes, while N. kempholeyensis tadpoles were found in gradual slopes with low water depth. For N. kumbara tadpoles, water temperature significantly influenced their distribution in the streams. Such spatial heterogeneity promotes the coexistence of these species supporting the niche theory. The study advances the understanding of how amphibian diversity from the Western Ghats is shaped at the microhabitat scale. The perennial streams that the Nyctibatrachus tadpoles inhabit are at risk due to anthropogenic activities. The findings of this study provide important baseline data that could be useful for the conservation of the endemic anurans in the Western Ghats, India.

show abstract

“…A comprehensive systematic revision by Biju et al (2011) provided taxonomic stability for various previously available names in this genus. The latest studies on Nyctibatrachus frogs have particularly drawn attention towards their natural history, including reproductive behaviour and ecology (e.g., Kunte, 2004 ; Biju et al, 2011 ; Gramapurohit, Gosavi & Phuge, 2011 ; Gururaja et al, 2014 ; Willaert et al, 2016 ) and tadpole development ( Annandale, 1918 ; Annandale, 1919 ; Rao, 1923 ; Bhaduri & Kripalani, 1955 ; Pillai, 1978 ; Priti, Gururaja & Ravikanth, 2015 ), as well as patterns of distribution and endemism in the Western Ghats ( Van Bocxlaer et al, 2012 ). Male advertisement calls have so far been described for N. major ( Kuramoto & Joshy, 2001 ), N. jog , N. kempholeyensis , N. kumbara ( Gururaja et al, 2014 ) and N. humayuni ( Willaert et al, 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seven new species of Night Frogs (Anura, Nyctibatrachidae) from the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot of India, with remarkably high diversity of diminutive forms

Garg

Suyesh

Sukesan³

et al. 2017

PeerJ

491

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Night Frog genus Nyctibatrachus (Family Nyctibatrachidae) represents an endemic anuran lineage of the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot, India. Until now, it included 28 recognised species, of which more than half were described recently over the last five years. Our amphibian explorations have further revealed the presence of undescribed species of Nights Frogs in the southern Western Ghats. Based on integrated molecular, morphological and bioacoustic evidence, seven new species are formally described here as Nyctibatrachus athirappillyensis sp. nov., Nyctibatrachus manalari sp. nov., Nyctibatrachus pulivijayani sp. nov., Nyctibatrachus radcliffei sp. nov., Nyctibatrachus robinmoorei sp. nov., Nyctibatrachus sabarimalai sp. nov. and Nyctibatrachus webilla sp. nov., thereby bringing the total number of valid Nyctibatrachus species to 35 and increasing the former diversity estimates by a quarter. Detailed morphological descriptions, comparisons with other members of the genus, natural history notes, and genetic relationships inferred from phylogenetic analyses of a mitochondrial dataset are presented for all the new species. Additionally, characteristics of male advertisement calls are described for four new and three previously known species. Among the new species, six are currently known to be geographically restricted to low and mid elevation regions south of Palghat gap in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and one is probably endemic to high-elevation mountain streams slightly northward of the gap in Tamil Nadu. Interestingly, four new species are also among the smallest known Indian frogs. Hence, our discovery of several new species, particularly of easily overlooked miniaturized forms, reiterates that the known amphibian diversity of the Western Ghats of India still remains underestimated.

show abstract

Morphology, natural history and molecular identification of tadpoles of three endemic frog species ofNyctibatrachusBoulenger, 1882 (Anura: Nyctibatrachidae) from Central Western Ghats, India

Cited by 9 publications

References 18 publications

DNA barcoding indicates the range extension in an endemic frog Nyctibatrachus jog, from the Western Ghats, India

DNA barcoding indicates the range extension in an endemic frog Nyctibatrachus jog, from the Western Ghats, India

Influence of microhabitat on the distribution of tadpoles of three endemic Nyctibatrachus species (Nyctibatrachidae) from the Western Ghats, India

Seven new species of Night Frogs (Anura, Nyctibatrachidae) from the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot of India, with remarkably high diversity of diminutive forms

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About