[Herpetology • 2016] Euphlyctis karaavali • A New Species of Euphlyctis (Anura, Dicroglossidae) from the West Coastal Plains of India

Euphlyctis karaavali  

 Priti, Naik,  Seshadri, Singal, Vidisha, Ravikanth & Gururaja, 2016

 DOI: 10.16373/j.cnki.ahr.160020  

The genus Euphlyctis is widely distributed across Southwestern Arabian Peninsula into parts of Southeast Asia. Five of the seven known Euphlyctis species are found within the Indian subcontinent. Here, we describe a new species, Euphlyctis karaavali sp. nov. from South-west coast of India, which was discovered during surveys engaging citizens. This species was identified to be distinct based on molecular and morphological evidence. We provide a detailed description of this species along with its call description and compare it with closest congeners. Previous studies in the region had identified this species as E. hexadactylus but suggested the possibility of it being cryptic. Genetically E. karaavali sp. nov. is distinct from E. hexadactylus with a genetic divergence of 9.2%(12S and 16S) and shows a high divergence with E. kalasgramensis and E. ehrenbergii (13.04% each). Our findings are discussed in the context of cryptic species discovery, citizen engagement in scientific progress and conservation measures while suggesting future directions.

Keywords: Karaavali skittering frog; citizen science; molecular identification; agriculture; cryptic species

Hebbar PRITI, Chandrakanth Rukkappa NAIK, Kadaba Shamanna SESHADRI, Ramit SINGAL, Madhava Kulkarni VIDISHA, Gudasalmani RAVIKANTH and Kotambylu Vasudeva GURURAJA. 2016. A New Species of Euphlyctis (Amphibia, Anura, Dicroglossidae) from the West Coastal Plains of India. Asian Herpetological Research. 7(4); 229–241. DOI: 10.16373/j.cnki.ahr.160020
  academia.edu/30610660/A_New_Species_of_Euphlyctis_Amphibia_Anura_Dicroglossidae_from_the_West_Coastal_Plains_of_India

http://www.gururajakv.net/publications.html

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