Journal of
Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2018 | 10(15):
12940–12952
Amphibians of the Dibang River Basin,
Arunachal Pradesh: an annotated checklist with distribution records
Jayanta K. Roy
1, Ramie H. Begum 2 & M. Firoz Ahmed
3
1,2 Department of Life Science and
Bioinformatics, Assam University, Diphu Campus, Karbi Anglong, Assam 782460,
India
1,3 Herpetofauna Research and Conservation Division, Aaranyak, 13 Tayab Ali Byelane, Bishnu Rabha Path, Beltola Tinali, Beltola, Guwahati, Assam
781028, India
1 roy.jayantakumar47@gmail.com, 2 ani.ara73@gmail.com,
3 mfa.aaranyak@gmail.com (corresponding author)
Abstract: The present study across the Dibang River Basin is being presented as an annotated
checklist from Arunachal Pradesh. A systematic survey was conducted during 2014–2017 by visual
encounter surveys, as well as opportunistic records across the basin.
Thirty-eight species of amphibians belonging to 17 genera in six families were
recorded. Five new
distribution records for Arunachal Pradesh, and one genus Oreolalax
was recorded for the first time from India. Further, a rare report on Theloderma
moloch and Rhacophorus
tuberculatus from northeastern
India provided significant information on species microhabitat and updated the
amphibian distribution records from Arunachal Pradesh.
Keywords: Five new state records, microhabitat,
one new genus record for India, Oreolalax, Rhacophorus tuberculatus, Theloderma moloch.
doi: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4249.10.15.12940-12952 | ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0D3499C5-AEDA-4987-A8BF-E5C287F89C09
Editor: S.K. Dutta, Retired Professor of Zoology, Bhubaneswar, India. Date
of publication: 26 December 2018 (online & print)
Manuscript details: Ms
# 4249 | Received 13 May 2018 | Final received 23 July 2018 | Finally accepted
04 December 2018
Citation: Roy, J.K., R.H. Begum & M.F. Ahmed (2018). Amphibians of the Dibang
River Basin, Arunachal Pradesh: an annotated checklist with distribution
records. Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(15): 12940–12952; https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4249.10.15.12940-12952
Copyright: © Roy et al. 2018. Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT
allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and
distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of
publication.
Funding: Aaranyak, Rufford Small
Grant Foundation (RSGF), KWEF (Kurita Water and Environment Foundation), and
the Science and Engineering Research Board of Department of Science and
Technology, Government of India.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Author
Details: Jayanta Kumar Roy is a biologist with Herpetological Research and Conservation Division
of Aaranyak and has been working on amphibians of
northeast India for last seven years. Currently he is focusing on ecology of
amphibians of Dibang River Basin in the Eastern
Himalaya and completed his PhD research from Assam University, Diphu Campus. He has recorded several rare and threatened
amphibian species from the region. Ramie H, Begum is a Biomedical Scientist
working in the field of animal disease monitoring and surveillance for more
than 14 years. A DBT overseas associate and a visiting professor at University
of California, USA, she currently Heads the Department of Life
Science and Bioinformatics at Assam University Diphu
Campus. M
Firoz Ahmed has been involved in conservation
research on herpetofauna and tigers in India since
1998. He has been working on herpetofauna and
reported new species to science. He has carried out herpetofaunal
inventory and taxonomy work in northeast India with specialization in Rhacophorids. He currently heads the Herpetological
Research and Conservation Division of Aaranyak.
Author Contribution: JKR - study design, field data collection, analysis and manuscript
writing. RHB - manuscript writing and guided JKR. MFA - study design and
manuscript writing.
Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to Aaranyak, Rufford Small Grant Foundation (RSGF), and KWEF (Kurita
Water and Environment Foundation) for financial assistance to conduct the
study. We sincerely thank Science and Engineering Research Board, the
Department of Science and Technology, Government of India for its grant to Aaranyak that helped carry out additional field surveys in
2017. We are thankful to the Department of Environment and Forests, Arunachal
Pradesh for providing necessary permission. We thank Prof.
S.K. Dutta, Annemarie Ohler
and Dr. Saibal Sengupta for help in species identification. We are
thankful to Dr. Karthikeyan
Vasudevan, Dr. Kanto
Nishikawa and Dr. Abhijit
Das for their advice and providing key literature. Our thanks to Naba Jibi Pulu
for local guidance and logistics help.
We thank Gapo Miuli,
Rigon Menda, Ahi Mihu, Emkey
Tayu, Naba Durga Tayu, Nabaliya Rasup Tayu for their support in the field.
INTRODUCTION
Arunachal
Pradesh, a part of the eastern Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot is still poorly
inventoried for flora and fauna. Studies carried out in the state till now have
reported 39 amphibians species from Arunachal Pradesh
(Sarkar & Ray 2006). Although, the first and most extensive survey
on amphibians was carried out by Annandale (1912), where 25 species were
documented during the Abor Hill expedition. Subsequently, 22 species from Arunachal Pradesh were
reported by Chanda (1994), 28 species from East Kameng (Pakhui Tiger Reserve), Changlang (Namdapha National
Park) & Upper Siang (Mouling National Park)
District by Pawar & Birand
(2001), 50 species from Dihang–Dibang
Biosphere Reserve by Borah & Bordoloi (2003), and
35 species from Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary by Athreya (2006).
Systematic studies and empirical
observations on amphibian species distribution in northeastern
region was found to be seriously lacking, although
several studies recorded amphibian species from the region (Annandale 1912; Chanda 1994; Pawar & Birand 2001; Bordoloi et al.
2002; Athreya 2006; Sarkar
& Ray 2006; Ahmed et al. 2009; Mathew & Sen
2010). In the present study, we
presented an updated amphibian species distribution and detailed microhabitat
characteristics from Arunachal Pradesh.
Materials and
Methods
The Dibang River Basin (Fig. 1) is situated in the foothills
flanked by the eastern Himalaya. It
covers two districts of Arunachal Pradesh: the Lower Dibang
Valley and Dibang Valley with a total geographic area
of 13,029km2 are situated between 27.99–28.98 0N and
95.78–95.81 0E. The Dibang River flows from the southern flank of the eastern
Himalaya and joins the Brahmaputra River in eastern Assam near Tinsukia Town. The
entire basin is a mountainous tract and altitude ranges from 200m to 4900m; the
annual rainfall varies from 3500–5000 mm (CGWB 2013). The rocky headwater streams with thick canopy
cover is the characteristic habitat features of the study area that provide a
suitable habitat for rare and range restricted amphibian species (Morse et al.
1993; Meyer & Wallace 2001).
We
conducted an extensive survey across the Dibang River
Basin covering altitude from 200m to 3500m from 2014–2017. Systematic surveys
were conducted along different stream and in forested habitat. The amphibian
survey includes two hour (1830–2030 h) visual
encounter survey (VES) (Crump & Scott 1994) followed by opportunistic
observations during the study period. We monitored amphibian
breeding pools located in very remote places in the valley in deep
forest during short expeditions of 10–15 days. All amphibian encounters were
marked using Garmin GPS map 62s and recorded on a standard data sheet. When possible, amphibians were measured on the
spot (SVL: snout vent length) using dial calliper (to the nearest 0.1 mm) and
released at the same habitat immediately.
Results
This study recorded a total of 38 amphibian species across the Dibang River Basin. The amphibians were recorded from an
altitudinal gradient of 200m to 3,300m.
The study did not encounter any species of Gymnophiona. The summary of the species recorded is
presented in Table 1.
This study recorded the genus Oreolalax
from India for the first time. Five
distribution records confirmed from the state of Arunachal Pradesh for the
first time, viz.: Nanorana chayuensis, Odorrana chloronota, Hydrophylax leptoglossa, Minervarya pierrei, and Minervarya syhadrensis. Further, additional distribution records
for Theloderma moloch
and Rhacophorus tuberculatus
have been obtained.
A brief account of species recorded with their natural habitats are
given below:
Species
accounts
Family: Ceratobatrachidae
Liurana medogensis (Fei et al.,
1997)
Head broader than long; tympanum distinct;
supra tympanic fold thick. Dorsally smooth and light brown; ventrally chest and belly smooth,
thigh finely granulated. Fingers and
toes were free. We have recorded Liurana medogensis
(Image 1a) throughout the study area at different localities (851–2448 m)
during May–August. Borah et al. (2013)
reported occurrence of this species from Basar, West
Siang District (950m) and Pang, Lower Subansiri
District (2000–2500 m). Inhabits forests
as well as edge of streams with thick litter fall. SVL: 21.27–23.17 mm (n=12).
Liurana sp.
Head broader than long; tympanum distinct;
supra tympanic fold thick. Dorsally and ventrally dark brown in colour, smooth; ventrally smooth,
dark brown with irregular white spots. Fingers and toes free.
We have recorded this unconfirmed Liurana sp (Image 1b) from Ikindi
in the Dibang Valley (2800–3235 m) in the month of
May. Males were found calling from under litter fall at the base of a large tree,
under a decaying fallen tree inside a humid forest. SVL: 21.27–23.17 mm (n=8).
Family: Bufonidae
Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799)
Head broader than long; distinct angular
dark ridges on head; two large kidney-shaped parotid glands behind eyes;
tympanum distinct; supra tympanic ridge present. Dorsal skin with rough spiny warts and tubercles. Ventral surface granular.
Fingers free; toes nearly half webbed.
We have recorded D. melanostictus
(Image 1c) across Dibang River Basin at different
localities (350–2000 m). Earlier this
species has been reported from Abor hills (Annandale
1912); West Kameng, East Kameng,
Lower Subansiri, West Siang, East Siang, Lohit and Tirap districts (Sarkar & Sanyal 1985; Sarkar & Ray 2006); Dihang–Dibang Biosphere Reserve (Bordoloi
et al. 2002) and Eaglenest (Athreya
2006). D. melanostictus usually common around human
settlements, but also encountered in forested habitats. SVL: 52.31–76.30 mm
(n=10).
Duttaphrynus stuarti (Smith, 1929)
Head broader than long; parietal ridges absent; parotid glands
elongated; tympanum distinct, supra tympanic ridge absent. Dorsal skin with keratinized spiny
warts. Ventral surface
granular. Fingers free; toes half
webbed. We have recorded D. stuartii (Image 1d) from Lower Dibang
Valley at different localities (285–1486 m) during April–August. Agarwal & Mistry (2008) recorded this species from Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (1250–2100 m) from western
Arunachal Pradesh. They were present
along edge of stream, forest trails with litter fall. SVL 36.42–73.13 mm (n=12).
Duttaphrynus sp.
Head broader than long. parietal ridge
absent. Tympanum
distinct; parotid glands wider and elongated. Dorsal skin with smooth
warts and large tubercles. Ventral surface granular with large tubercles. Fingers free, toes half webbed. We have recorded this unconfirmed typical
Indo-China species of Bufo (Image 1e) from Anini, Angrim Valley and Mipi (1403–1678 m) during February–March. They are early breeders in the area (early
February–mid March). Males were observed calling from temporary roadside water
pools as well as permanent pool of water after a heavy thundershower. SVL:
81.25–91.12 mm (n=4).
Family: Megophryidae
Oreolalax sp.
Head broader than long. Tympanum not distinct; supra tympanic fold thick. Dorsally olive to
greenish-grey with numerous longitudinal bars. Ventrally smooth, dark brown with two blotch
or outgrowths on chest. Fingers and toes free. A single individual of this species was
recorded from Ikindi at 3235m in May. This record of Oreolalax
sp (Image 1f) from the study
area is a new distribution record of the genus to the country. It was observed
in the night on an elevated tree trunk covered with mosses in a rhododendron
forest. SVL: 39.21mm (n=1).
Xenophrys robusta (Boulenger,
1908)
Head as broad as long. V–shape marked behind head. Tympanum distinct; supra
tympanic fold thick. Dorsally smooth or finely granulated, reddish brown to dark brown. Ventrally smooth, dark grey in colour. Fingers free; toes rudimentarily webbed. We have recorded X. robusta
(Image 1g) species during March–September across the Dibang
River Basin (297–1612 m). Previously
known from the Dihang–Dibang
Biosphere Reserve (Bordoloiet al. 2002) and from Namdapha and Mouling National
Park (Pawar & Bindra
2001). They inhabit along the edges of
gently flowing streams with large boulders and thick riparian vegetation cover.
SVL: 80.79–120.12 mm (n=6).
Xenophrys sp1.
Head longer than wide. Tympanum distinct and concealed by supra tympanic fold. Greenish to brown dorsum with benzene ring
marked on dorsum. Ventrally smooth; dark grey in colour.
Fingers and toes free. We have recorded this unconfirmed Xenophrys sp1 (Image 1h) across the Dibang River Basin (679–2541 m) during March–July. Males were found calling from shrubs and
large boulders near stream banks. They
were abundant along the edges of narrow stream reaches as well as road side wall with thick and wet vegetation. This was the
smallest among all the Xenophrys sp.
recorded during this study. SVL: 28.98–34.37 mm (n=5).
Xenophrys sp2.
Head broader than long. V–shaped preorbital
ridge and a second inverted V–shaped marked on the mid–dorsum. Tympanum distinct; supra
tympanic fold present. Dorsally dark brown with fine tubercles, smooth. Ventral surface smooth, grey with black blotches. Fingers free; toes rudimentarily webbed. We have recorded this unconfirmed species of Xenophrys sp. 2 (Image 1i) (947–2079 m) from Anini during May–July.
The microhabitat was same as the X. robusta;
however distribution in mid elevation.
The SVL measured for one individual of the species was 60.34mm.
Xenophrys sp3.
Head broader than long. V–shaped preorbital
ridge and a second inverted V–shaped marked on the mid–dorsum. Tympanum distinct and
concealed by supra tympanic fold.
Dorsally reddish brown, smooth. Ventrally smooth, grey with dark orange
blotches. Fingers free; toes
rudimentarily webbed. We have recorded
this unconfirmed species of Xenophrys sp 3 (Image 1j) from high altitude
in Ikindi (2184–3060 m) in May. They were observed
along the edge of a stream as well as on forest litter fall near a water pool
at a high elevation. SVL: 45.2–47.6 mm (n=5).
Family: Dicroglossidae
Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis (Schneider, 1799)
Head slightly broader than long.
Tympanum distinct. Dorsum greyish
to brownish, smooth with dark, round spots uniformly distributed; small
tubercles and warts present on dorsum. Ventral surface almost white and smooth. Fingers free; toes fully webbed. We have recorded E. cyanophlyctis
(Image 1k) across the Dibang River Basin at all the
sampling sites (232–1738 m) during the year.
It has a wide distribution range in Arunachal Pradesh (Annandale 1912; Chanda 1994; Pawar & Bindra 2001; Bordoloi et al.
2002; Sarkar & Ray 2006). Euphlyctis
cyanophlyctis locally common and abundant in
temporary and permanent water bodies, paddy fields, marshy areas in plain
grassland. SVL=44.5–66.5 mm (n=10).
Minervarya nepalensis (Dubois, 1975)
Head longer than wide. Tympanum
distinct; supra tympanic fold narrow. Dorsally greyish-brown with dark irregular
spots, narrow mid dorsal line present.
Ventrally smooth and grey in colour.
Fingers free; toes half webbed.
We have recorded Minervarya nepalensis (Image 1l) from lowland areas in the Lower Dibang Valley (224–796 m asl). Bordoloi et al.
(2002) recorded this species from the Dihang–Dibang Biosphere Reserve of Arunachal Pradesh without
mentioning any specific locality. M. nepalensis
is present in different habitats such as agricultural land, temporary or
permanent pools and grassland etc. SVL=33–37 mm (n=12).
Minervarya pierrei (Dubois, 1975)
Head slightly longer than wide.
Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold
narrow. Dorsum olive
to brownish with serrated longitudinal bars; broad mid–dorsal line present on
the dorsal side of body.
Ventrally smooth, grey in colour. Fingers free; toes half webbed. We
have recorded M. pierrei (Image 1m) from
lowland Nijamghat areas in the Lower Dibang Valley (232m) in June. It inhabits agricultural land, small
temporary water bodies and grassland.
Previously not reported from Arunachal Pradesh. SVL=40.20–44.62 mm (n=4).
Minervarya syhadrensis (Annandale, 1919)
Head slightly broader than length. Tympanum distinct;
supra tympanic fold narrow. Dorsally greyish- to
brownish-olive with black irregular spots; very narrow mid–dorsal line present
on dorsum. Ventrally smooth, grey
to dark grey in colour. Fingers free; toes
half webbed. We have recorded M. syhadrensis (Image 1n) from lowland areas of Nizamghat in the Lower Dibang
Valley (274–387 m) during April–July. It
inhabits small temporary water pools; paddy field;
grassland. There is no earlier report of
this species from Arunachal Pradesh.
SVL=25.10–29.33 mm (n=16).
Minervarya teraiensis (Dubois, 1984)
Head broader than long. Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold present. Dorsally greyish to brownish with fine
granules; narrow mid–dorsal line present or absent. Ventrally smooth, dark grey in colour. Fingers free; toes half webbed. Nine individuals of M. teraiensis
(Image 1o) recorded; eight from lowland areas of Nizamghat
(232masl) and one individual from Chisindo (795m)
during April–May. Earlier, Bordoloi et al.
(2002) reported this species from Dehang Debang Biosphere Reserve of Arunachal Pradesh without any
specific locality mention. F. teraiensis was observed in
temporary or permanent water bodies, paddy field, shallow pool in forest. SVL=44.6–47.54 mm (n=9).
Hoplobatrachus tigerinus (Daudin, 1802)
Head longer than broad. Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold very prominent and thick. Dorsally yellowish to olive green, marked
with large irregular blackish spots, irregular glandular folds on dorsum; mid–dorsal line present.
Ventrally smooth and white.
Fingers free; toes fully webbed.
We have recorded H. tigerinus (Image
2p) from the lowland areas of Nizamghat in Lower Dibang Valley (215–500 m) in April. Earlier records from
Arunachal Pradesh (Annandale 1912; Chanda 1994; Pawar & Bindra 2001; Bordoloi et al. 2002; Sarkar
& Ray 2006) suggested a wide distribution of the species in the
region. H. tigerinus inhabits paddy fields, marshy grassland
and also near large water bodies in floodplain.
SVL: 82.30–118.30 mm (n=25).
Hoplobatrachus crassus (Jerdon, 1853)
Head broader than long. Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold thick. Dorsum greenish or olive, granulate with
prominent warts and irregular longitudinal glandular folds;
mid-dorsal line absent. Ventrally
smooth, grey in colour. Fingers free;
toes fully webbed. We have recorded a
single individual of H. crassus
(Image 2.q) in a temporary roadside pool at New Chidu
(297m) in July. Previously reported by Pawar & Bindra (2001) from Pakke Tiger Reserve followed by Borah & Bordoloi (2003) in Chessa and Papumpare (500m).
This is also the first record of H. crassus from the Dibang
Valley as well as eastern Arunachal Pradesh.
It is also the easternmost distribution of the species in the Brahmaputra
Valley since it was reported by Saikia
et al. (2000). H. crassus
inhabits marshy and shrub wetlands, paddy field, temporary or permanent water
bodies. SVL=70.81mm (n=1).
Nanorana chayuensis (Ye, 1977)
Head broader than long. Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold thick. Dorsally olive brown to
dark brown with irregular warts on dorsum. Ventrally grey, two oval patches of spine
groups with 33 to 56 spines on each patch on male chest during breeding
season. Fingers free; toes fully webbed. We have recorded N. chayuensis
(Image 2r) across the Dibang River Basin (816–2539 m)
during April–July. This report is a
first record of the species from northeast India as well as new distribution
record of this species from Arunachal Pradesh.
Earlier Deuti & Ayyaswamy
(2008) reported this species from Darjeeling District of West Bengal
(1860m). N. chayuensis inhabits fast flowing first order
streams with slippery boulders and steep bank angle. SVL=62.11–84.11 mm (n=18).
Family: Ranidae
Amolops marmoratus (Blyth, 1855)
Head broader than long. Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold not distinct. Dorsally brown with olive green to brown gray irregular spots, granulated. Ventrally yellowish-white
and granulated. Fingers free;
toes fully webbed. We have recorded A.
marmoratus (Image 2s) from the Lower Dibang Valley at different locations (273–1294 m) during
March–August. Previously recorded from
the Upper Renging (655m) (Annandale 1912) followed by
Bordoloi et al. (2002) from Namdapha
and Boleng, and Dihang–Dibang Biosphere Reserve without any specific locality
(500–2000 m). A. marmoratus inhabits perennial streams; rocky
streams bed (riffles). SVL 27.10–72.9 mm (n=15).
Amolops viridimaculatus (Jiang, 1983)
Head slightly longer than broad.
Tympanum not distinct; supra tympanic fold
narrow. Dorsally smooth, brown with
numerous greenish blotch on dorsum.
Ventrally smooth, grey greenish.
Fingers free; toes fully webbed. Observed A. viridimaculatus (Image 2t) common across the Dibang River Basin at different localities (679–2538 m)
during April–July. Previously
reported from the Mouling National Park (Pawar & Bindra 2001) and from
the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Athreya
2006) at Bompu (2200m) and New Khellong
(1250m). A. viridimaculatus inhabits undisturbed rocky
perennial streams with thick canopy cover.
SVL 65.20–78.20 mm (n=12).
Amolops cf. chunganensis
(Pope, 1929)
Head slightly longer than broad. Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold not clear. Dorsally Olive green to gray
brown or reddish brown; dorsolateral line running from posterior eye to
vent. Ventrally smooth, pale
yellow. Fingers free; toes fully
webbed. Recorded A.
chunganensis (Image 2u) from Etalin
(720 m) during May–July. Athreya (2006) recorded this species as unconfirmed from Sessni (1250m), Eaglenest
Wildlife Sanctuary. A. chunganensis inhabits at the
edges of large streams with large boulders and thick canopy cover. SVL 29.07–33.80 mm (n=3).
Amolops sp.
Head broader than long. Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold narrow or indistinct. Dorsally brown with numerous spiny granules
serrated on abdominal side; thick dorsolateral line present, Ventrally smooth,
grey in colour. A single individual of
this unconfirmed species of Amolops (Image 2v) was recorded from Riyali (1468m) in July.
It inhabits wet and slippery boulders along the edge of a fast flowing
stream. SVL: 51.3mm (n=1).
Humerana humeralis (Boulenger,
1887)
Head longer as broad. Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold not distinct. Dorsally light brown to bright green;
uniformly tuberculated;
thick dorsolateral line (Ahmed et al. 2009).
Ventrally whitish, smooth. Fingers free; toes two-third webbed. We have recorded H. humeralis
(Image 2w) from lowland areas in Nizamghat (232–420
m) during March–July. Previously
recorded from the Pakke Tiger Reserve (Hussain et al. 2007). It inhabits paddy field;
marshy areas with thick vegetation and tall grasses. SVL: 53.71–63.78 mm (n=4).
Hydrophylax leptoglossa (Cope, 1868)
Head long as broad. Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold indistinct or absent. Dorsally brown with small
to large black spots or markings; dorsolateral line from posterior eye to vent. Ventrally smooth, white spotted brown. Fingers free; toes two–third webbed. We have recorded H. leptoglossa
(Image 2x) from the Sally Lake (488m) in June.
This species was known to occur at low elevations in Assam and Mizoram,
(Chanda 1994; Lalremsanga
et al. 2007a; Ahmed et al. 2009; Bortamuli et al.
2010). Recorded two males calling from
thick bushes by the lake. Also inhabits
slow flowing forest streams and swampy habitats with thick vegetation (Ahmed et
al. 2009). SVL: 49.37–50.34 (n=2).
Odorrana chloronota (Gunther, 1876)
Head as long as broad. Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold not present. Dorsally bright green with
5–6 dark spots. A prominent golden streak present on the upper jaw. Ventrally smooth, dark grey. Fingers free; toes fully webbed. We have recorded O. chloronata
(Image 2y) from the lowland areas of Nizamghat (252m)
and Etalin (680m) during March–July. This is the first record of O. chloronata from Arunachal Pradesh. O. chloronata has been originally
reported from Darjeeling (Gunther 1876) and later from Mizoram (Lalremsanga et al. 2007b); Meghalaya and Assam (Mathew
& Sen 2010) with no specific location. The
microhabitat recorded for O. chloronata was
near small and fast flowing streams with thick canopy cover. SVL: 70.81mm (n=1).
Family: Rhacophoridae
Kurixalus naso (Annandale, 1912)
Head broader than long. Tympanum distinct;
supra tympanic fold present, narrow.
Dorsally light to dark brown in colour with prominent pustules and folds
including dorsal part of limbs. Ventrally whitish and granular. K. naso (Image 2z) was recorded from Nizamghat (252–1631 m) during April–June. Earlier, Annandale (1912) reported this
species from the Egar stream between Renging and Rotung and later from
the Mouling National Park (Pawar
& Bindra 2001); Doimara
in Eaglenest
Wildlife Sanctuary (Athreya 2006). K. naso lives near the edge of
forest and stream with thick understory vegetation or bushes. SVL: 33.4–35.3 mm (n=8).
Polypedates himalayensis (Gray, 1830)
Head broader than long. Tympanum distinct;
supra tympanic fold thick. Dorsally smooth, brownish with light darker
spots. Ventrally dull whitish and granular. Fingers free; toes three–fourth
webbed. P. himalayensis
(Image 2aa) was recorded from different localities (297–1486 m) during
May–July. Annandale (1912) recorded this species from Arunachal Pradesh as a
subspecies of P. maculatus himalayensis
from the collection of the Abor Hill Expedition
followed by Pawar & Bindra
(2001) from the Mouling National Park. Sarkar & Ray
(2006) reported it from the West Kameng, East Siang
and the Tirap districts without mention of any
specific locality. P. himalayensis
inhabits near stagnant water bodies temporary or permanent with thick
vegetation (herbs and shrubs). Males
were found calling from thick grasses and shrubs in shallow pools of water as
well as from terrace paddy. SVL:
37.50–44.39 mm (n=10).
Rhacophorus bipunctatus (Ahl, 1927)
Head broader than long. Tympanum not distinct;
supra tympanic fold narrow. Dorsally light green to green with fine black
dots. Ventrally white, granular. Dark characteristic spots
on side by arm and groin. Fingers
two–third webbed; toes fully webbed. R. bipunctatus (Image 2ab) was recorded from the Maruli (1290m) and Tiwarigaon
(1486m) in May and July respectively.
Earlier, Annandale (1912) recorded this species from the Rotung and consequently from the Tirap
(Sarkar & Sanyal 1985),
and the Siang (Chanda 1994; Borah & Bordoloi 2003), without any mention of specific locality; and from the Sessni in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Athreya
2006). Males were found calling from branches of shrubs at the edge of forest
as well as roadside water pool and marshy areas. SVL: 40.80–55 mm (n=12).
Rhacophorus burmanus (Andersson,
1939)
Head slightly longer than broad. Tympanum distinct;
supra tympanic fold very thick. Dorsally green with dark brown blotches;
milky white blotches on lateral sides of the body. Ventrally granulated, grey
in colour. Fingers one-fourth webbed; toes two-third webbed. R. burmanus (Image 2ac) was
recorded from Aropo (1367m) and Maruli
(1408m) in May. This is the first record of the species from Arunachal Pradesh which was recently reported from Nagaland and
Manipur (Sengupta et al. 2017). Individuals were observed on the ground at
the edge of forest and roadside with thick shrubs near a small water pool
respectively. SVL: 56.21–52.30 mm (n=2).
Rhacophorus maximus (Gunther, 1858)
Head slightly broader than long. Tympanum distinct;
supra tympanic fold present, narrow. Dorsally green, smooth. Ventral and
lateral sides of body granulated. Fingers two–third webbed; toes fully webbed. R.
maximus (Image 2ad) was
recorded across the Dibang River Basin at different
localities (297–2000 m) during April–July. It has been reported widely from
Arunachal Pradesh; the upper Rotung (Annandale 1912);
Pakke, Namdapha and the Mouling National Park (Pawar
& Birand 2001); Siang, Namdapha,
Itanagar and the Dihang-Dibang
Biosphere Reserve (Borah & Bordoloi 2003); Lower Subansiri (Sarkar & Ray
2006). During the breeding season R. maximus is generally encountered near stagnant water
bodies, temporary or permanent, marshy area and roadside water bodies. SVL: 38.55–93.00 mm (n=16).
Rhacophorus translineatus (Wu, 1977)
Head longer than broad. Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold present, thick.
Dorsally reddish-brown to light brown in color; very
fine granules on dorsum with narrow 9–12 transverse dark brown line from snout
to vent. Ventrally whitish with thin network markings.
Fingers two–third webbed; toes fully webbed. R. translineatus (Image 3ae) was recorded from Tiwarigaon (1480m) and the Ahini Ango (920m) in July and August respectively. Previously, it was reported from the Dihang–Dibang Biosphere Reserve (Bordoloi et al. 2002) without any specific locality or voucher
specimens, and from Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (Athreya 2006). R.
translineatus inhabits
marshy pools under thick canopy and males were found calling from nearby
vegetation, bushes and trees. SVL:
58.25–59.68 mm (n=4).
Rhacophorus tuberculatus (Anderson, 1871)
Head slightly longer than broad. Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold present, narrow. Dorsally deep brown with
numerous fine black spots on dorsum.
Ventrally whitish, granular mixed with large tubercles. R. tuberculatus
(Image 3af) was recorded from Nizamghat (395m) in
July. R. tuberculatus
has been reported from Janakmukh (183m), Rotung (396m) and Kalek (1158m)
during the Abor hill expedition (Annandale
1912). We observed a single R. tuberculatus sitting on a branch along the edge of a
narrow stream covered by thick bushes.
SVL: 41.8 mm (n=1).
Theloderma asperum (Boulenger,
1886)
Head broader than long. Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold indistinct. Dorsally dark gray to brown with small to
large spinules. Ventrally smooth, dark. Fingers free; toes
half webbed. T. asperum
(Image 3ag) was recorded from New Chidu (344m) and Elopa (851m) in May.
Annandale (1912) recorded this species from the Egar
stream between the Renging and the Rotung in East Siang District;
subsequently, from Namdapha and the Mouling National Park (Pawar
& Birand 2001). Males were found calling from
water accumulated in a tree trunk hole inside a tropical humid forest. Also found in an artificial water tank near
agricultural land close to the forest.
SVL: 28.9–30.8 mm (n=4).
Theloderma moloch (Annandale, 1912)
Head broader than long. Tympanum distinct; supra tympanic fold indistinct. Dorsally greyish-brown with prominent ridge
more or less serrated warts on dorsum. Ventrally black, granulated, tubercles around vent. Fingers
free; toes three–fourth webbed. T. moloch
(Image 3ah) was recorded from Elopa (780m) and Chisindo (910m) in May and July, respectively (Roy et al.
2017). Annandale (1912) originally
described this species from the Upper Rottung, East
Siang District and later it was reported from the Eaglenest
Wildlife Sanctuary (Athreya 2006). It is also reported from Namdapha by Biju et al.
(2016). The
microhabitat and other natural history notes are reported by Roy et al.
(2017). SVL
36.10–39.46 mm (n=4).
Philautus sp1
Head broader than long. Both tympanum and supra tympanic fold indistinct. Dorsally
smooth, reddish-brown. Ventrally granular, whitish. Fingers free; toes one–third webbed. Recorded this unconfirmed Philautus
sp.(Philautus sp1,
Image 3ai) from moist forest areas of Nizamghat, New Chidu and Ejengo (232–947 m)
during March–July. Inhabits along the
edge of forest and males were observed calling from thick bushes under a moderate
canopy cover. Also observed near human
habitations. SVL
19.5–20.2 mm (n=3).
Philautus sp2
Head broader than long. Tympanum fairly distinct; supra tympanic fold present, narrow. Dorsally smooth, grey
brown; 2–3 dark brown spots on flanks near to ventrum. Ventrally granular, grey in
colour. Fingers free; toes
one–third webbed. Recorded this
unconfirmed species of Philautus (Philautus sp 2.,
Image 3aj) from the Nizamghat, Elopa,
Chisindo, Tiwarigaon,
Challis (40 Kilo), Etalin and Riyali
(329–2071 m) during March–July. Inhabits along the edge of streams with thick
riparian vegetation cover. SVL:
22.81–25.10 mm (n=6).
Philautus sp3
Head broader than long. Tympanum fairly distinct; supra tympanic fold present; narrow. Dorsally brown, slightly granular with
irregular dark bands on dorsum. Ventrally granular, grey with irregular dark spots. Fingers
free; toes one–third webbed. Recorded
this unconfirmed species of Philautus (Philautus sp3, Image 3ak) from nearby Tiwarigaon (1545m) in July.
A single male individual of this species was observed calling from
shrubs by a roadside wall with thick moist vegetation grown on it. SVL: 17.59 mm (n=1).
Philautus sp4
Head broader than long. Tympanum fairly distinct; supra tympanic fold present, thick. Dorsally brown with irregular fine
granules. Ventrally granular, grey mixed
with brown spots. Fingers free; toes
one–third webbed. Recorded this unconfirmed species of Philautus
(Philautus sp4, Image 3al) from the
Etalin (752m) in May. A single male individual of
this species was observed calling from a stem of Alocasia
sp. approximately three feet above ground along the edge of a stream. SVL: 21.20mm (n=1).
Discussion
This study presented the distribution record of 38 amphibian species
from across the Dibang River Basin for the first time
from an altitudinal gradient of 224m to 3,235m of a Himalayan river. Previously, Annandale (1912) and Bordoloi et al. (2002) reported amphibian diversity from Abor Hills (Siang River Basin) and the Dihang–Dibang Biosphere Reserve (Siang and Dibang
river basins), respectively. The species
described as new to science by Annandale (1912) has been encountered during
this study for the first time since it was described. This study further confirms some record of
species previously described by other authors (Bordoloi
et al. 2002; Sarkar & Ray 2006; Mathew & Sen 2010; Borah et al. 2013) and at the same time we could
record altitude, microhabitats and geolocate the
occurrences from the river basin.
As the inventories of amphibians are very few in the state, this study
reports five new distribution records of amphibians for Arunachal Pradesh. In addition, one species is recorded for the
first time from India (Orelalax sp), however, species level
identity of the species is yet to be confirmed and is in progress. In this study, we have comparatively
described the present species distribution with regards to their previous known
distribution records from Arunachal Pradesh, their microhabitat characteristics
and specific morphological characteristics.
Biogeographically, when compared to biogeographic regions (Duellman 1999) we found that the amphibian (unconfirmed
species excluded) distribution from the study area shows an overlapping and
sharing of species from India/Sri Lanka (42.9%), southern Himalaya (85.7%), northeastern montane (78.6%), and
China (32.1%).
The conservation status (IUCN 2017) of the amphibians encountered
(Fig. 2) include, two Near Threatened (NT) 5% anurans: Amolops
viridimaculatus and Rhacophorus
burmanus; one vulnerable (VU) 2.5%: Theloderma moloch; Least
Concern (LC) 44.5% (N=17); Data deficient (DD) 16% (N=6) and Not Evaluated (NE)
31.5% (N=12). It is interesting to note that nearly 50% of
the 38 species are data deficient and not evaluated yet. This study would further help in assessing
the conservation status of those species that needs evaluation and reevaluation. This study also observed that unscientific
developments including many large hydroelectric projects at various stages of
implementations as well as various roads planned within the study area are most
likely to have irreversible effects on the ecology in the river basin during
the next few decades.
The river basin approach of this study has helped in planning long term
ecological study on amphibians including patterns of distributions along an
altitudinal gradient from the plains of Assam to the high Himalayas. Long term
ecological studies in the river basin would help in understanding factors that
influence and limit distribution of species to understand the possible effect
of weather change on species that are restricted by the Himalayan mountain
ranges and mid elevation foothills.
Amphibians, being indicators of the health of the environment, could
help understand the
impact of changing weather on ecosystems if monitored in the river basin.
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Table 1. Number of amphibian species
recorded from the Dibang River Basin, Arunachal
Pradesh, India.
|
Genus |
No. of species |
|
Amolops |
4 |
|
Duttaphrynus |
3 |
|
Euphlyctis |
1 |
|
Minervarya |
4 |
|
Hoplobatrachus |
2 |
|
Humerana |
1 |
|
Hydrophylax |
1 |
|
Kurixalus |
1 |
|
Liurana |
2 |
|
Odorrana |
1 |
|
Nanorana |
1 |
|
Oreolalax |
1 |
|
Philautus |
4 |
|
Polypedates |
1 |
|
Rhacophorus |
5 |
|
Theloderma |
2 |
|
Xenophrys |
4 |
|
17 genera |
38 species |
