Assessment Results
Duttaphrynus parietalis
Indian Toad, Timber Forest Toad
Order:
Anura
Family:
Bufonidae
Synonym(s):
Bufo parietalis
Assessed for:
India
on:
21 Oct 2020
by:
AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop
Authors:
Sandeep Das, Nikhil Modak, S.R. Chandramouli, S.R. Ganesh, Seshadri K.S. and Karthikeyan Vasudevan
IUCN Global Red List:
Near Threatened (NT)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
India
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
7.296132996
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.] | Least Concern (LC) | At the time of re-assessment, no new information was available that would warrant a change in the category. However, this species would not have qualified for Near Threatened if an EOO had been calculated for the last assessment, rather than estimated, as the EOO of the distribution was - and is - too large for the thresholds of this category. In addition, this reassessment follows the Red List Guidelines Version 11 (2014) and later versions, which encourage the use of a minimum convex polygon to estimate extent of occurrence (EOO) for criterion B assessments (i.e. without excluding areas forming discontinuities or disjunctions). Calculating the EOO according to these Guidelines has resulted in a downlisting from Near Threatened to Least Concern. |
| 2 | Possibly extinct | Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 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? | Yes / probably | This toad is relatively widely distributed in the Western Ghats states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in India (Frost 2020). It has been recorded from Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Kalakad Mundathurai Tiger Reserve, Silent Valley National Park, South Wayanad Forest Division (Sandeep Das, pers. comm. October 2020), Ponmudi. It may occur between its known localities, but further taxonomic work is required to determine the true distribution (S.R. Chandramouli, pers. comm. October 2020). Dutta (1997) lists uncertain records from the Eastern Ghats, which require further verification but this seems unlikely (India RLA/CNA workshop, October 2020). Records from Cochin and Nagari, Chittoor district, are misidentified Duttaphrynus melanostictus specimens (Ganesh and Asokan 2010). It occurs between between 200 and 900 m asl (Frost 2020). |
| 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 | Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary and Kalakkad Mundathurai Tiger Reserve. |
| 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 | This species is found in a number of protected habitats. |
| 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 | Improved habitat protection is required. |
| 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, natural history, and the effects of climate change and Bd. Given prevalence of Bd in the area, the species should be monitored (Karthikeyan Vasudevan, pers. comm. October 2020). Population monitoring is also recommended (India RLA/CNA workshop, October 2020). Taxonomic research is also required to delineate this species - with a separate species both sides of the Palghat Gap (India RLA/CNA workshop, October 2020). |
| 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 unlikely to be reversed in time to prevent further decline / extinction | It is also known from deciduous and secondary forests; it has also been recorded from arecanut plantations near water tanks (Hedge 2012, India RLA/CNA workshop, October 2020). It is not known if it can occur in degraded habitat, but it will require a degree of canopy cover (S.R. Ganesh, pers. comm. October 2020). The main threat to this species is deforestation caused by both regional infrastructure development (roads, dams, and urbanization) and the collection of wood and timber for subsistence use by local people. In Kerala, in Athirumala, Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve an annual pilgrimage takes place, involving hundreds of people per day during the duration of a month (Jan-Mar), which causes littering and pollution of streams in that locality India RLA/CNA workshop, October 2020). Tourism in Ponmudi is also causing species disturbance, and is considered to be minor threat to the species (India RLA/CNA workshop, October 2020). Climate change could be a potential future threat as it could cause changes in rainfall and habitat drying (India RLA/CNA workshop, October 2020). Bd has been confirmed in Ponmudi, but no records have been found in the genus and further research is required (India RLA/CNA workshop, October 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 | |
| 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? | Yes / probably | It is a locally common species. It is widely distributed and it is not a commonly found toad (Karthikeyan Vasudevan, pers. comm. October 2020). |
| 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? | No | |
| 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? | No / unlikely | |
| 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 | |
| 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? | Yes / probably | |
| 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)? | No | Research into species validity needs to be prioritised. It could be a species complex (S.R. Chandramouli and Sandeep Das, pers. comm. October 2020) |
Citation:
Sandeep Das, Nikhil Modak, S.R. Chandramouli, S.R. Ganesh, Seshadri K.S. and Karthikeyan Vasudevan 2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Duttaphrynus parietalis, India
(AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/5748
Accessed 05 Feb 2025
