Kallar dancing frog found in Ranni forest division

A team of zoologists from the State have found the presence of Kallar dancing frog (Micrixalus herrei) in the Ranni forest division. It is the first time that this unique dancing frog has been seen in the northern side of Shencottah Gap.

A team of zoologists from the State have found the presence of Kallar dancing frog (Micrixalus herrei) in the Ranni forest division. It is the first time that this unique dancing frog has been seen in the northern side of Shencottah Gap.

Also called Kallar Torrent frog, M. herrei got its name as it was first found at Kallar, and its presence was limited to the south of the Shencottah Gap.

The zoologists team comprising Priya Thomas from BCM College, Kottayam; Gigi K. Joseph from Nirmala College, Muvattupuzha; and Sujith V. Gopalan from University College, Thiruvananthapuram, documented Kallar dancing frogs at Naranamthodu, Erumely, in the Ranni forest division in June 2023. They said a substantial population of Kallar dancing frogs was present in the forest streams of Ranni and Goodrical ranges.

The finding was published as “A New Record of the Kallar Torrent Frog, Micrixalus herrei Myers 1942, from the Ranni Forest Division, Kerala, India” in the latest issue of an international open-access journal named Reptiles & Amphibians.

“The Shencottah Gap (9° N) acts as a biogeographic barrier and plays a substantial role in the region’s speciation,” said Dr. Gopalan.

Frogs belonging to this genus are known for their unique foot-flagging behavior, which gives them the common name dancing frogs. The tadpoles of these frogs live under the gravel beds of streams, making them elusive.

According to the findings of the Global Amphibian Assessment 2, 2022, Micrixalus is one of the most threatened genera of all Indo-Malayan genera and the fifth most threatened genus in the world, with 92% of its species in the threatened category.