Thursday 29 September 2011

The 12 New Night Frogs

I had written a story about Biju’s night frog discovery. I still have some of the photographs, so here goes


Spinular Night Frog
SPINULAR NIGHT FROG- Nyctibatrachus acanthodermis

Nyctibatrachus acanthodermis

The species name is derived from two Greek words – ‘acanthos’, meaning spine or thorn, and ‘dermis’ meaning skin – referring to the spiny skin of this species.

Daniel’s Night Frog
DANIEL'S NIGHT FROG- Nyctibatrachus danieli

Nyctibatrachus danieli

This species is named after J.C. Daniel of the BNHS, in great appreciation of his contribution to Indian wildlife research.

Deven’s Night Frog
DEVEN'S NIGHT FROG- Nyctibatrachus deveni

Nyctibatrachus deveni

The species is named after Deven Brian Sheth, a young nature lover in honour of his parents Mr Brian Niranjan Sheth (of Indian origin) and Mrs Adria Marie Sheth, for their contribution to global conservation of Indian amphibians.

Gavi Night Frog
GAVI NIGHT FROG- Nyctibatrachus gavi

Nyctibatrachus gavi

The species is named after Gavi, where the specimen was collected.

Wayanad Night Frog
WAYANAD NIGHT FROG- Nyctibatrachus grandis

Nyctibatrachus grandis

The species epithet grandis (Latin word) is an adjective meaning large, referring to the largest adult size reported in Nyctibatrachus.

Indraneils Night Frog
INDRANEIL'S NIGHT FROG- Nyctibatrachus indraneili

Nyctibatrachus indraneili

This species is named after Indraneil Das, to honour his contribution to herpetological research in south and south-east Asia.

Jog’s Night Frog
JOG'S NIGHT FROG- Nyctibatrachus jog

Nyctibatrachus jog

The species is named after Jog Falls, where the type series was collected.

Periyari Night Frog
PERIYAR NIGHT FROG- Nyctibatrachus periyari

Nyctibatrachus periyar

The species is named after Periyar Tiger Reserve, where the type series was collected.

Pillai’s Night Frog
PILLAI'S NIGHT FROG- Nyctibatrachus pillaii

Nyctibatrachus pillaii

This species is named after R.S. Pillai of the ZSI, in appreciation for his contribution to Indian amphibian systematics.

Meowing Night Frog MEOWING NIGHT FROG- Nyctibatrachus poocha

Nyctibatrachus poocha

The species epithet poocha (Malayalam word, the major language of Kerala state) means domestic cat, referring to the advertisement call which is reminiscent of the call of a cat.

Shiradi Night Frog
SHIRADI NIGHT FROG- Nyctibatrachus shiradi

Nyctibatrachus shiradi

The species name shiradi is derived from Shiradi Ghat

VUB Night Frog
VUB NIGHT FROG- Nycyibatrachus vrijeuni

Nyctibatrachus vrijeuni

The species is named after the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where S.D. Biju, Ines Van Bocxlaer and Franky Bossuyt completed their PhDs.