Myristica Swamp Treefrog

In News

the rare and elusive Myristica Swamp Treefrog was recorded in Kerala for the first time.

In-Detail

Myristica Swamp Treefrog is an endemic species and is found only in the Western Ghats.
The scientific name of the species is Mercurana myristicapalustris.
The rare frogs were sited at the north of the Shencottah gap in the Vazhachal Reserve Forest in Kerala’s Thrissur.
These frogs were identified during an exploration study by scientists from the University College, Thiruvananthapuram near the road at Sukthae pocket swap in the Vazhachal forest division in 2018.
Researchers discovered a group of adult frogs calling for low perches in a swamp.
Generally, the myristica swamp treefrogs are found in the foothills of the Agasthyamalai.
These frogs were active throughout June and early July.
These species adapted to a non-Myristica swamp predominant with the plant polyalthia fragrans.
In 2013, the frog was first spotted in the Myristica swamps of Arippa, the Kulathaupuzha Reserve Forests in the western foothills of Agasthyamali in the Kollam district.
The species is found 170 km to the north of Arippa.

Unique Traits

These frogs are rare and elusive.
They are arboreal and active only for a few weeks during their breeding time.
A large aggregation of males descend from the high canopy of trees during this season.
In the swamps, the males vocalize in groups from low perches.
The breeding season for these frogs being in May, the pre-monsoon season and ends in June, before the onset of monsoon.
By the time the season ends, both the make and female pairs descend to the forest floor to lay eggs.
The female lays the eggs by digging the mud and making shallow burrows.
After laying eggs, they retreat to the high canopies of the tree and remain elusive till the next season.
The extended distribution of such rare frogs in the Western Ghats has conservation implications.
They also provide a suitable niche for further studies on the diverse amphibian fauna of the Ghats.

Conclusion

The rainforest of the Western Ghats still throw up new species that have eluded human beings for a long time. With more field studies, many new species will definitely come to light in the future.