It's atiny Goan fejervaryan frog
In the lowland areas of the WesternGhats parts of the Goa and in the hilly tracts of the Belgaum, it is quitecommon to hear the tinkling 'trick, trick' 12 to 14 note chorus call from the mudpools, paddy fields and local water bodies in the monsoon during the lateevening. Many of these are terrestrial frogs sitting next to water bodiesmaking calls to attract females for mating. Although most of these frogs areterrestrial, they need water bodies to breed in. These terrestrial frogs belongto the amphibian genus Fejervarya ofthe family Dicroglossidae and are commonly known as either 'cricket frogs' or 'fejervaryanfrogs'. These frogs range in size from small (19 mm) to large (56 mm) aredistributed throughout Asia. Mostfejervaryan frogs are morphologically very similar and difficult to identify onthe basis of external characters alone, creating taxonomic uncertainty in termsof names, identification and systematics. A team led by K.P. Dinesh, S.P.Vijayakumar, Varun Torsekar and KartikShanker of Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science,Bangalore; B.H. Chennakeshavamurthy of Zoological Survey of India, Calicut and NirmalKulkarni of Mhadei Research Centre, Goa have published their findings on a newspecies of tiny fejervaryan frogs in the recent edition of the internationaltaxonomic journal Zootaxa. The new species is called 'Fejervarya gomantaki'after the state of Goa where this species is found. Most fejervaryan species inSouth and South-east Asia are cryptic and difficult to identify on the basis ofmorphology alone. The authors have used a combination of morphology, geographicdistribution range and molecular methods to describe the new species. In addition, the authors provide an overview ofthe systematics of the group and recommend additional sampling across the Asiancontinent. Atpresent, the new species is known to be found in low lying water logged areasof Goa and the adjoining hill ranges of Belgaum where it is abundant locally. However,more detailed studies of this species are necessary to map its distributionrange and understand its biology. please find attached images and research paper for reference. Nirmal U Kulkarni Herpetologist and Wildlife Photographer.Member, Goa State Wildlife Advisory Board. 6 Hiru Naik Bldg, Dhuler, Mapusa, Goa- 403507, India.www.wildernest-goa.com www.mhadeiresearchcenter.org www.swapnagandha.comwww.herpactive.com
