Assessment Results
Odorrana mawphlangensis
Mawphlang Frog, Hill Stream Frog
Order:
Anura
Family:
Ranidae
Synonym(s):
Rana mawphlangensis, Limnonectes mawphlangensis
Assessed for:
India
on:
06 Oct 2020
by:
AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop
Authors:
Mohammad Firoz Ahmed, Mohini Mohan Borah, Prof. Sabitry Choudhury Bordoloi, Dr. Tutal Bortamuli, Basundhara Chettri, Nzano Humtsoe, HT Lalremsanga, Nikhil Modak, Annemarie Ohler, Jayaditya Purkayastha, Jayanta Roy, Saipari Sailo, Chatoan Tesia and Karthikeyan Vasudevan
IUCN Global Red List:
Data Deficient (DD)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Bhutan, India, Nepal
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
13.0555286
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
| Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
| 1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Data Deficient (DD) | |
| 2 | Possibly extinct | Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild? | Unknown | |
| 3 | Phylogenetic significance | The taxon’s Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) score, as generated by the ZSL EDGE program. (These data are not editable by Assessors). | ED value < 20 | |
| 4 | Protected habitat | Is a population of at least 50% of the individuals of the taxon included within a well-managed or reliably protected area or areas? | No / unlikely | This species is endemic to north-eastern India, in the states of Meghalaya, Manipur, and Nagaland (at 1,980 m asl (Annemarie Ohler, pers. comm. September 2020)). It is likely to occur in Namdapha National Sanctuary. It has been recorded in Mizoram State at Hmuifang Community Reserve Forest in Aizawl District, at 1,444 m asl (Lalremsanga 2017), however the records from Mizoram may need verification, and for the purposes of this assessment are being excluded (Jayaditya Purkayastha, pers. comm. September 2020). Specimens from Namdapha, Tirap district in Arunachal Pradesh State (Ghosh 1987, Sarkar and Ray 2006), may also need further review and confirmation (Mohammad Firoz Ahmed and Annemarie Ohler, pers. comm. September 2020). It does not occur in any protected areas, apart from Mawphlang Sacred Grove, where although not officially protected, the local people protect this area and its inhabitants (Mohammad Firoz Ahmed and Jayaditya Purkayastha, pers. comm. September 2020). It may occur more widely pending further taxonomic research (India RLA/CNA workshop, 2020). The species is found below 1,980 m asl. |
| 5 | Habitat for reintroduction, conservation translocation or supplementation | Does enough well-managed and reliably protected habitat exist, either within or outside of currently protected areas that is suitable for conservation translocation, including population restoration or conservation introduction? | Yes / probably | |
| 6 | Previous reintroductions | Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species? | No | |
| 7 | In situ conservation activities | Are any in situ conservation actions currently in place for this species? (Only required if a Red List Assessment has not been completed, or if new actions have been implemented since the last Red List Assessment. (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.). | Yes / probably | It is protected by national legislation. |
| 8 | In situ conservation activities | Are additional in situ conservation actions required to help conserve this species in the wild (e.g. habitat restoration and/or protection, control of invasive species, national legislation etc.)? | Yes / probably | |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Further research is required on its distribution, taxonomy, population and threats. |
| 10 | Threat mitigation | Are the threats facing the taxon, including any new and emerging threats not considered in the IUCN Red List, potentially reversible? | Threats unknown | Threats to this species are unknown. It is unlikely to tolerate habitat loss or disturbance (Annemarie Ohler, pers. comm. September 2020). |
| 11 | Over-collection from the wild | Is the taxon suffering from collection within its natural range, either for food, for the pet trade or for any other reason, which threatens the species’ continued persistence in the wild? | No / unlikely | This species is likely to be harvested for food however this is unconfirmed (Annemarie Ohler, pers. comm. September 2020) |
| 12 | Population recovery | Is the known population of this species in the wild large enough to recover naturally, without ex situ intervention if threats are mitigated? | Unknown | There is no information on population status. |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | No | |
| 14 | Biological distinctiveness | Does the taxon exhibit a distinctive reproductive mode, behaviour, aspect of morphology or physiology, within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.)? | No aspect of biology known to be exceptional | |
| 15 | Cultural/socio-economic importance | Does the taxon have a special human cultural value (e.g. as a national or regional symbol, in a historic context, featuring in traditional stories) or economic value (e.g. food, traditional medicine, tourism) within its natural range or in a wider global context? | Yes | The species occurs in Mawphlang Sacred Grove and is therefore considered to be sacred by the Khasi tribe (Mohammad Firoz Ahmed, pers. comm. September 2020). |
| 16 | Scientific importance | Is the species vital to current or planned research other than species-specific ecology/biology/conservation within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.) e.g. human medicine, climate change, environmental pollutants and conservation science? | No research dependent on this species | |
| 17 | Ex situ research | Does conserving this species (or closely related species) in situ depend upon research that can be most easily carried out ex situ? | No | |
| 18 | Ex situ conservation activities | Is any ex situ research or other ex situ conservation action currently in place for this species? (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.) | No / unlikely | |
| 19 | Husbandry analog required | If an ex situ rescue program is recommended for this species, would an analog species be required to develop husbandry protocols first? | Unknown | |
| 20 | Husbandry analog | Do the biological and ecological attributes of this species make it suitable for developing husbandry regimes for more threatened related species? i.e. could this species be used in captivity to help to develop husbandry and breeding protocols which could be used for a similar, but more endangered species at a later stage? | No | |
| 21 | Captive breeding | Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity? | Not held in captivity to date | |
| 22 | Conservation education/ecotourism potential | Is the species especially diurnal, active or colourful, or is there an interesting or unusual aspect of its ecology that make it particularly suitable to be an educational ambassador for conservation of the species in the range country, either in zoos or aquariums or within ecotourism activities? | No | The species occurs in Mawphlang Sacred Grove and is therefore considered to be sacred by the Khasi tribe - this could be an interesting story to tell (India RLA/CNA workshop, 2020). |
| 23 | Mandate | Is there an existing conservation mandate recommending the ex situ conservation of this taxon? | No | |
| 24 | Range State approval | If an ex situ initiative was proposed for this species, would it be supported (and approved) by the range State (either within the range State or out-of-country ex situ)? | Yes / probably | |
| 25 | Founder specimens | Are sufficient animals of the taxon available or potentially available (from wild or captive sources) to initiate an ex situ program, if one was recommended? | Unknown | Research into availability of founders needs to be prioritised. |
| 26 | Taxonomic status | Has a complete taxonomic analysis of the species in the wild been carried out, to fully understand the functional unit you wish to conserve (i.e. have species limits been determined)? | Yes | This is a valid species (Jayaditya Purkayastha, pers. comm. September 2020), although it may be a species complex (Annemarie Ohler, pers. comm. October 2020). |
Citation:
Mohammad Firoz Ahmed, Mohini Mohan Borah, Prof. Sabitry Choudhury Bordoloi, Dr. Tutal Bortamuli, Basundhara Chettri, Nzano Humtsoe, HT Lalremsanga, Nikhil Modak, Annemarie Ohler, Jayaditya Purkayastha, Jayanta Roy, Saipari Sailo, Chatoan Tesia and Karthikeyan Vasudevan 2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Odorrana mawphlangensis, India
(AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/5629
Accessed 26 Jan 2025
