Evidence for the local extirpation of the Dehradun Stream Frog Amolops chakrataensis Ray, 1992 from the type locality, Chakrata in western Himalaya, India, and associated threats: a call for urgent conservation action

Authors

  • Vishal Kumar Prasad Laboratory of Animal Behaviour and Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, People’s Republic of China; Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001, India; IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Gland, Rue Mauverney 281196, Switzerland.
  • Kumudani Bala Gautam Zoological Survey of India, Reptilia Section, FPS Building, Indian Museum complex, Kolkata, West Bengal 700016, India.
  • Devendra Singh Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001, India; Biodiversity Research and Conservation Foundation, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001, India; Department of Zoology, SRT Campus, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand 246174, India. https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6281-9330
  • Amit Badola Biodiversity Research and Conservation Foundation, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001, India.
  • Abhilasha Shrivastava Laboratory of Animal Behaviour and Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, People’s Republic of China. https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2023-7290
  • K.P. Dinesh Zoological Survey of India, Western Regional Centre, Pune, Maharashtra 411044, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6700-4896
  • Amaël Borzée Laboratory of Animal Behaviour and Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, People’s Republic of China; IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Gland, Rue Mauverney 281196, Switzerland; Department of Zoology and General Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Fergana State University, Fergana 150100, Uzbekistan. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1093-677X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10116.18.6.29098-29105

Keywords:

Anthropogenic pressure, conservation monitoring, Critically Endangered amphibian, habitat degradation, Himalayan biodiversity, local extinction, stream habitat, pollution, type locality reassessment, unsustainable tourism

Abstract

The current occurrence status of the ‘Critically Endangered’ Dehradun Stream Frog Amolops chakrataensis was assessed at its type locality in the Chakrata landscape in Dehradun District, Uttarakhand in the western Himalaya, India. Daytime and nighttime visual encounter and aural surveys were conducted for 39 survey days between 2023 and 2024, across multiple stream systems and seasons. Despite extensive effort, no individuals of A. chakrataensis were detected. This study identifies two additional ongoing threats under the IUCN Red List Threats Classification Scheme: pollution and residential & commercial development. Discrepancies in the current IUCN Red List distribution map were also detected, and an updated preliminary estimate of the indigenous range (sensu IUCN) was provided prior to putative local extirpation. These findings suggest a putative local extirpation at the type locality and highlight the urgent need for targeted monitoring and habitat conservation.

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Published

26-06-2026

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Vol. 18 No. 6 (2026)

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Communications

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Copyright (c) 2026 Vishal Kumar Prasad, Kumudani Bala Gautam, Devendra Singh, Amit Badola, Abhilasha Shrivastava, K.P. Dinesh, Amaël Borzée

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