NEWIND PRESS (Chennai, India) 22 March 08 4 new ‘cryptic’ frog species discovered in the Western Ghats
Mangalore: March 21 is World Forestry Day, a day no different from others for Rondano Biodiversity Research Laboratory in St Aloysius college engaged round-the year in selfless research of biodiversity in the Western Ghats.
The many pioneering studies on ecology and the stunning discovery of four new species of frogs by the Laboratory keep reminding communities on the need of total preservation of Western Ghats, the world’s eighth hottest biodiversity hotspot.
The discovery of four new `cryptic’ species of frogs in central Western Ghats by the Laboratory in association with Japanese scientists had been acknowledged worldwide and even published in the December issue of the peer science journal-Current Herpetology.
Japanese scientists Mitsuru Kuramoto, Atsushi Kurabayashi and Masayuki Sumida impressed by the Laboratory’s elaborate work in mapping of frog chromosomes favoured a joint research on frogs in the Western Ghats.
"The new species of frogs were discovered after painstaking efforts," recollects Fr Leo D’Souza of Rondano Biodiversity Research Laboratory. One of the new frogs, F Mudduraja found in the wetlands in Talapu in Madikeri derives its name from King Muddu Raja who founded Madikeri. F Kudremukhensis derives its name from the locality Kudremukh, F Granosa from granules on its skin and F Caperatta found in paddy fields of Mudigere derives it name from the Latin word caperatus meaning wrinkled.
"They are very similar in external appearances but were found distinctive in acoustic characteristics and DNA sequences," says Prof S Hareesh Joshy head of Zoology department in St Aloysius college who coordinated the research with Japanese scientists. The discovery of new species, he reveals, holds many positives. The presence of so many species in several particular frog genera reflects active speciation in the region.
"There are an incredible number of 100 cryptic frogs, not described so far," Joshy says who is renewing the study on new species with Japanese scientists from this month.
4 new ‘cryptic’ frog species discovered in the Western Ghats