Eight new species found in herpetofauna survey at PTR

Herpetofauna survey in Periyar Tiger Reserve reveals rich biodiversity with new amphibian and reptile species identified.

The herpetofauna survey conducted in Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) has added five new species to the list of amphibians and three new species to that of reptiles, revealing the rich biodiversity of the region. The survey held from June 7 to 10 identified 67 species of amphibians and 82 species of reptiles.

According to researcher Sandeep Das, the survey newly identified species such as Darrel’s Chorus Frog (Microhyla darrelli), Kerala Skittering Frog (Euphlyctis kerala), Jaladhara Skittering Frog (Euphlyctis jaladhara), Nilphamarai Narrow-mouthed Frog (Microhyla nilphamariensis), Narayan’s caecilian (Uraeotyphlus narayani), Rashid’s Day Gecko (Cnemaspis rashidi), Meghamala Dravidogecko (Dravidogecko meghamalaiensis) and Beddome’s Dravidogecko (Dravidogecko beddomei).

“These species were not recorded in previous surveys. The amphibian diversity of PTR is also unique, which is evident as 53 out of 67 species recorded in the survey, or 80%, are found only in the Western Ghats. We will conduct a follow-up survey after the monsoon to explore the seasonal diversity of herpetofauna in PTR. Additionally, we removed six species from the checklist that lacked proper records,” said Dr. Das.

According to officials, the survey was conducted from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. with the assistance of Forest department officials. Among reptiles, there are 12 species on the endangered list, including the Cane Turtle (Vijayachelys silvatica), the Travancore Tortoise (Indotestudo travancorica), and the Short-tailed Kukri (Oligodon brevicauda).

The Yellow-eyed Reed Frog was spotted four times during the survey. The survey spotted the Galaxy Frog, the flagship species of Mathikettan Shola National Park, in two different locations.

Officials conducted the field survey in 21 camps that represented various vegetation and elevation types. Seventy-three volunteers from various educational and research institutions, including Calicut University, Kannur University, and the Kerala Forest Research Institute, as well as voluntary organisations, including the Malabar Natural History Society, ATREE Bengaluru, Sarpa, and Snakepedia, participated in the survey.

Researchers Sandeep Das and Rajkumar led the survey that was inaugurated by PTR Assistant Field Director Lakshmi R. Sandeep S., Deputy Director, PTR West Division; K.E. Sibi, Range Forest Officer, Thekkady; Arun K. Nair, Range Forest Officer, Vallakadavu Range; Libin John, Range Forest Officer, Research Range; Priya T. Joseph, Range Forest Officer, Flying Squad Range; conservation biologists M. Ramesh Babu and Alby J. Mattathil, Sethu Parvathy, Nature Education Officer, PTCF; among others, joined the survey.