Why cardamom farmers welcome these frog species endemic to the Western Ghats

The bush frog, or Raorchestes ponmudi, eats up moths known to destroy cardamom’s pseudo-stem, a major menace faced by farmers

A frog species endemic to the Western Ghats has been identified as cardamom-friendly, killing moths that are known to destroy cardamom’s pseudo-stem, a major menace faced by farmers.

The bush frog, or Raorchestes ponmudi eats up the shoot borer Conogethes punctiferalis that enters through immature panicles and attacks the shoots and stems, thus destroying cardamom plants, often in a large-scale. The bush frog is widely found in the Ponmudi area of the Western Ghats and is familiar to cardamom planters.