Distribution and habitat associations of the Critically Endangered frog Walkerana phrynoderma (Anura: Ranixalidae), with an assessment of potential threats, abundance, and morphology

Distribution and habitat associations of the Critically Endangered frog Walkerana phrynoderma (Anura: Ranixalidae), with an assessment of potential threats, abundance, and morphology. Little is known about Walkerana phrynoderma, a frog endemic to the Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats of India. Baseline information (i.e., distribution, threats, habitat characteristics, activity patterns, and relative abundance) is provided for this species, with the aim of improving our understanding of the status of the species in the wild. Visual-encounter, transect, and time-activity budget surveys were conducted in and around the Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats. The frog skin was swabbed to determine the presence/absence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and habitat and environmental characteristics were recorded at sites where W. phrynoderma was found. These data were compared with those of sites apparently lacking this species that had suitable habitat. Walkerana phrynoderma is restricted to evergreen forests between 1300 and 1700 m a.s.l. in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and at Munnar; thus, its range was extended from the state of Tamil Nadu to the adjoining state of Kerala. Pesticide runoff and human disturbance are the most severe threats to the species; B. dendrobatidis was not detected. This nocturnal anuran prefers forest edges and is associated with well-shaded forest foors in cool areas near freshwater streams. Walkerana phrynoderma is rarely encountered whereas its congener, W. leptodactyla, is more common. The impact of anthropogenic disturbances, especially waste disposal and development of tourism infrastructure, should be evaluated. The land that is owned by the Forest Department peripheral to the protected areas could be designated as eco-sensitive sites to prevent changes in land use that could have an adverse effect on W. phrynoderma.

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First report of the catfish Nilgiri Mystus Hemibagrus punctatus (Jerdon, 1849) (Bagridae) from Stanley Reservoir, Tamil Nadu, India

Journal of Threatened Taxa ◽

10.11609/jott.4199.11.1.13175-13179 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 13175-13179

Author(s):

Praveenraj Jayasimhan ◽

Moulitharan Nallathambi ◽

M. P. Goutham-Bharathi

Keyword(s):

Western Ghats ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

First Report ◽

Western Ghats Of India ◽

First Time ◽

The Western Ghats

The Nilgiri Mystus Hemibagrus punctatus (Jerdon, 1849), a Critically Endangered catfish endemic to the Western Ghats of India, is recorded for the first time from Stanley Reservoir in Tamil Nadu, India. An account of the morphometrics of this species, along with notes on its habitat and threats, is provided.

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Impatiens megamalayana, a new species of Impatiens from the Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.302.2.10 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 302 (2) ◽

pp. 193 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

R. RAMASUBBU ◽

C. DIVYA ◽

N. SASI KALA ◽

ANJANA SURENDRAN ◽

A.K. SREEKALA

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Western Ghats ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Pollen Grains ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Floral Structure ◽

Effective Strategies ◽

The Western Ghats ◽

A New Species

Impatiens megamalayana, a new species from Tamil Nadu, India is described and illustrated. This species is characterized by a ridged stem, ensiform and villous leaves, a wrinkled boat-shaped lower sepal with outwardly curved tip, ornamented seeds and strictly ovate pollen grains. This combination of characters makes determining the relationships of I. megamalayana difficult. The floral structure of I. megamalayana is closely allied to I. herbicola Hook.f. and I. inconspicua Benth. in Wall., the latter with three varieties, but it differs by several unique vegetative and floral features. Impatiens megamalayana is assessed as Critically Endangered in accordance with the IUCN guidelines. The habitat of the species is severely affected by landslides. As a result, effective strategies should be developed to protect I. megamalayana from exinction.

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A new species of the genus Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) from the Western Ghats of India

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4221.4.6 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4221 (4) ◽

pp. 491

Author(s):

R.R. RACHANA ◽

R. VARATHARAJAN

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Sexual Dimorphism ◽

Western Ghats ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Brownish Yellow ◽

Hydrangea Macrophylla ◽

Western Ghats Of India ◽

The Western Ghats ◽

A New Species

Thrips laurencei sp.n. is described from specimens collected on flowers of Hydrangea macrophylla in Western Ghats range of Tamil Nadu, India. This new species shows sexual dimorphism in colour, with the females brownish yellow with brown shadings but the males uniformly yellow.

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The identity of Rasbora neilgherriensis (Teleostei: Danionidae), with a re-description

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4894.2.5 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4894 (2) ◽

pp. 261-268

Author(s):

DENCIN RONS THAMPY ◽

AGIN GEORGE KURIAN ◽

K. REMA DEVI ◽

RAHUL G. KUMAR

Keyword(s):

Western Ghats ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Valid Species ◽

Caudal Peduncle ◽

Cauvery River ◽

Western Ghats Of India ◽

Cauvery River Basin ◽

The Western Ghats ◽

Pelvic Fin

Rasbora neilgherriensis Day, long considered a synonym of Rasbora daniconius or Rasbora dandia, is re-described and shown to be a valid species based on an examination of type and recently-acquired topotypical specimens from the Western Ghats of India. The species is characterised by a complete lateral line with 32–34 pored scales on body, ½5–6/1/2½ scales in transverse line on body, a mid-lateral stripe that is 2½ scales wide anterior to the pelvic fin and 1–1½ scales wide on the caudal peduncle, and a caudal fin that is emarginate to forked with broadly rounded lobes. The species was recorded from the Cauvery River Basin in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, India, at elevations ranging from 710 m to 2015 m above sea level, in stream stretches with relatively denser riparian canopy cover.

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New species of Soa Enderlein, 1904 (Psocodea: ‘Psocoptera’: Lepidopsocidae) from the Western Ghats of India

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4881.2.11 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4881 (2) ◽

pp. 383-392

Author(s):

GURUSAMY RAMESH ◽

RAJAPPA BABU ◽

KUMARAPURAM A. SUBRAMANIAN

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Western Ghats ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Wildlife Sanctuary ◽

Tiger Reserve ◽

Western Ghats Of India ◽

The Western Ghats

Soa papanasam sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on both sexes from Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve and Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, India. It differs from all other known species of Soa, by hindwing vein R1 originating proximal to vein M1 and distal to M2. This is the first species of the genus Soa described from India.

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Investment, adoption, attitude and extent of participation of farmers in soil conservation projects in the Western Ghats of India

International Journal of Social Economics ◽

10.1108/ijse-10-2013-0219 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. 251-275 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sekar Chellappan ◽

R Sudha

Keyword(s):

Soil Conservation ◽

Western Ghats ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Farm Size ◽

Content Type ◽

Compliance Programs ◽

Western Ghats Of India ◽

Conservation Projects ◽

The Western Ghats ◽

Conservation Technologies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the investment pattern, adoption behaviour, attitude of farmers towards conservation compliance programmes and the extent of participation of farmers in soil conservation projects in the Western Ghats of India. Design/methodology/approach – For the present study, multistage purposive sampling was followed. The sample respondents were identified for the survey in all the five categories of watersheds (very high, high, medium, low and very low priority watersheds) in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu at the rate of 50 farm respondents in each category. Since the investment among the five categories of watersheds did not show any significant differences, the sample farmers were post stratified as marginal, small, medium and large farmers based on farm size for further analysis. Findings – The investment analysis showed a benefit cost ratio (BCR) of 1.03 for staggered trenches for tea to 1.40 for bench terrace for carrot. For annual crops, the BCR for bench terrace varied from 1.03 for cabbage to 1.32 for carrot. Among the soil conservation technologies, in tea plantation, stone wall had the highest net present value (NPV) of Rs. 74,335. Staggered trench had the lower NPV Rs. 19,237 among all conservation structures. The results of the contingent valuation showed that cropped area, farm size, on-farm income positively and significantly influenced the willingness to pay (WTP) towards soil conservation. Family size and age of the farmer negatively influenced the WTP of the respondents significantly. The multinomial logit model indicated that staggered trench had direct impact on productivity. In tea plantation, staggered trench adoption was influenced by area under plantation crops, farm size, educational level and land slope. The participation index was very low (<30), indicating the poor participation of farmers in soil conservation programmes. Research limitations/implications – The results of the study reveal the appropriateness of the soil conservation technologies for the select soil type as well as the specific socioeconomic conditions of the farmers undertaking conservation compliance programs in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu. Understanding the farmer’s perceptions and adoption behaviour is important in making the whole programme a successful one. Hence the results of the study may not be generalized for other study zones, unless otherwise, the agro-ecological zone is similar to the site where the study was conducted. Practical implications – The study suggested that adoption of conservation technologies should be promoted in a big way to conserve natural resources like soil and enhance economic returns. It is also advocated that institutions should provide only guidance for community participation not on community governance and the role should be involving the real stakeholders/beneficiaries under participatory mode to achieve the goal of soil conservation. The bottom-up approach should be adopted to address the real issues involved in conservation compliance programmes. Social implications – The outcome of the study advocates the economic viability of conservation technologies adopted by the crop farmers. The project results also advised the farmers, institutions and the enforcements authorities, the strategies to be adopted to minimize soil loss and increase crop productivity by adopting the appropriate conservation compliance programs. The results also revealed that conservation of soil and water not only conserved the precious natural resources but also had far reaching effect on the yield of croplands, which would be reflected on the food and nutritional securities of the local communities at the micro level and the nation as a whole at the macro level. Originality/value – The research outcome is based on the field level research done by the authors in the Western Ghats of India. The primary data collected from the respondents were analysed and used for drawing inferences and conclusions.

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The amphibian diversity of selected agroecosystems in the southern Western Ghats, India

Journal of Threatened Taxa ◽

10.11609/jott.3653.10.8.12027-12034 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 12027

Author(s):

M. S. Syamili ◽

P. O. Nameer

Keyword(s):

Western Ghats ◽

Strong Relationship ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Rubber Plantation ◽

Amphibian Species ◽

Generalist Species ◽

Western Ghats Of India ◽

Southern Western Ghats ◽

The Western Ghats

A study was conducted to evaluate amphibian diversity in selected agroecosystems of central Kerala within the southern Western Ghats of India, from January to May 2017. A total of 10 anurans were recorded from cashew plantation, coconut plantation, homegarden and rubber plantation using a combination of quadrat sampling and visual encounter survey. We recorded three species endemic to the Western Ghats: Minervarya keralensis, Pseudophilautus wynaadensis and Indosylvirana urbis from these agroecosystems. Pseudophilautus wynaadensis is a threatened species with Endangered status as per the IUCN Red List. The present study shows a strong relationship between the types of agroecosystems and abundance of different amphibian species. This study highlights the potential of agroecosystems within and adjacent to the Western Ghats mountains to act as important abodes to conserve generalist species of amphibians and to provide a suitable habitat for threatened and endemic species.

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Seven new species of Night Frogs (Anura, Nyctibatrachidae) from the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot of India, with remarkably high diversity of diminutive forms

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.3007 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. e3007 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Sonali Garg ◽

Robin Suyesh ◽

Sandeep Sukesan ◽

SD Biju

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Western Ghats ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Genetic Relationships ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

High Elevation ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Western Ghats Of India ◽

Southern Western Ghats ◽

The Western Ghats

The Night Frog genusNyctibatrachus(Family Nyctibatrachidae) represents an endemic anuran lineage of the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot, India. Until now, it included 28 recognised species, of which more than half were described recently over the last five years. Our amphibian explorations have further revealed the presence of undescribed species of Nights Frogs in the southern Western Ghats. Based on integrated molecular, morphological and bioacoustic evidence, seven new species are formally described here asNyctibatrachus athirappillyensissp. nov.,Nyctibatrachus manalarisp. nov.,Nyctibatrachus pulivijayanisp. nov.,Nyctibatrachus radcliffeisp. nov.,Nyctibatrachus robinmooreisp. nov.,Nyctibatrachus sabarimalaisp. nov. andNyctibatrachus webillasp. nov., thereby bringing the total number of validNyctibatrachus species to 35 and increasing the former diversity estimates by a quarter. Detailed morphological descriptions, comparisons with other members of the genus, natural history notes, and genetic relationships inferred from phylogenetic analyses of a mitochondrial dataset are presented for all the new species. Additionally, characteristics of male advertisement calls are described for four new and three previously known species. Among the new species, six are currently known to be geographically restricted to low and mid elevation regions south of Palghat gap in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and one is probably endemic to high-elevation mountain streams slightly northward of the gap in Tamil Nadu. Interestingly, four new species are also among the smallest known Indian frogs. Hence, our discovery of several new species, particularly of easily overlooked miniaturized forms, reiterates that the known amphibian diversity of the Western Ghats of India still remains underestimated.

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Tourism in Sigur Plateau in the Western Ghats of India

Environmental Impacts of Tourism in Developing Nations - Advances in Hospitality, Tourism, and the Services Industry ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-5843-9.ch009 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 158-180

Author(s):

Aditi Chanchani ◽

Swathi Seshadri ◽

Rosemary Viswanath

Keyword(s):

Natural Resources ◽

Western Ghats ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Southern State ◽

Major Player ◽

Western Ghats Of India ◽

The Many ◽

Ecological Landscape ◽

And Control ◽

The Western Ghats

Tourism has emerged as a major player and an increasing threat to the Western Ghats, its ecological landscape, the diverse ecosystems associated with it, and the many groups of indigenous (Adivasi) and other traditional forest-dwelling communities living in it. Unregulated growth and overly ambitious developmental plans in environmentally fragile areas have many strong and often irreversible fallouts: increased deforestation, fragmentation of wildlife habitats, closing of critical links between habitats, loss of people's access to and control over resources being among some of them. In 2010, EQUATIONS initiated a study that aimed to understand the impacts of tourism on the Sigur Plateau in the Western Ghats in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, taking into consideration the impacts of tourism on the biodiversity, natural resources, and the communities that live in and around the area. The scope of the study was to assess tourism in the realms of economic, environmental, and social impacts. For the purposes of this chapter, the environmental impacts have been focused on.

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