Indirana gundia (Dubois, 1986)

Jesmina, Abdulrasheed Safia & George, Sanil, 2015, New distribution records for the critically endangered frog Indiranagundia (Dubois, 1986) from Kerala part of Western Ghats, India, Biodiversity Data Journal 3, pp. 5825-5825 : 5825

Indirana gundia (Dubois, 1986)

Distribution

The species was discovered in 1986 from forests of Kemphole and Sakleshpur (12°49.50' N, 75°35.50' E), Karnataka, India, by Dubois and is believed to occur only in the type locality (Gundya) at an altitude of 200 m asl.

Taxon discussion

The GenBank sequences matched exactly the extracted sequences of Indirana gundia (0.1%genetic distance) and clustered together in the ML tree, strongly suggesting that the distribution range of I. gundia extends through the continuous stretch of forests towards south up to Aralam region of the Kerala part of Western Ghats. Our results expand the distribution of I. gundia about 111 km south (Aralam) of its previously known range at an elevation of 137 m mean sea level. Konnakkad is approximately 56 km south of the type locality of I. gundia at an elevation of 115 m mean sea level followed by Kanamvayal (61 km; 172 m). This is the first distribution record of I. gundia in places other than the type locality.

Geographical distribution of a species is an important parameter in conservation biology. However, the Wallacean shortfall is evident in the Western Ghats as the exact distribution of many amphibian species in this region is poorly known. The data provided here on the distributional status of one of the critically endangered frog species of Western Ghats illuminating the use of molecular tools for delineating species boundaries effectively. The results may be helpful in designing further studies on biogeography and ecology and provide valuable insights for the conservation status of this species.