Assessment Results
Duttaphrynus beddomii
Beddome's Toad
Order:
Anura
Family:
Bufonidae
Synonym(s):
Bufo beddomii, Bufo travancoricus
Assessed for:
India
on:
21 Oct 2020
by:
AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop
Authors:
Seshadri K.S., Sandeep Das, Nikhil Modal, S.R. Ganesh and Karthikeyan Vasudevan
IUCN Global Red List:
Endangered (EN)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
India
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
9.209713468
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.] | Endangered (EN) | |
| 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 species is believed to be endemic to the southern Western Ghats of India and has been recorded from Kudremukh, Ponmudi, and Kalakad in the states of Kerala (Dutta 1997, Biju 2001), Tamil Nadu (Ravichandran 1996, Vasudevan et al. 2001), and Karnataka (Krishnamurthy and Hussain 2000). It is also known from Shivalik region in Punjab State (Khalid 2007), Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, Kothamangalam Taluk of Ernakulam District in Kerala State (Mumthaz and John George 2018), and Jammu and Kashmir State (Bhat et al. 2020). In Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, they are found in the Upper Kodayar Region (Seshadri K.S. and Karthikeyan Vasudevan, pers. comm. October 2020). The entire population occurs in Kalakkad Mundathurai Tiger Reserve, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, all of which are inside the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve. Specimens collected in Maharashtra (Ravichandran 1990) are misidentifications of Bufo cf. scaber (S.D. Biju pers. comm.). It has an altitudinal range of 100-1,500 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 | Just inside the Biosphere 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 | It has been recorded from several protected areas. |
| 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 | Further habitat protection is required, as well as raising awareness with tourists to reduce their littering and species disturbance behaviours (India RLA/CNA workshop, October 2020). |
| 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 natural history, and the effects of climate change and Bd. Population monitoring is also recommended. |
| 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 are likely to be reversible in time frame to prevent further decline / extinction | 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 (Sandeep Das, pers. comm. 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 is a potential future threat which may result in the shifting of habitat, and subpopulations that already exist in higher elevations may be lost as they have no habitat to migrate to (India RLA/CNA workshop, October 2020). The temperature profile of the ground may alter and stream drying which also be problematic (Seshadri KS, pers. comm. 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? | Unknown | It is a relatively rare species, and is considered to be the rarest toad in India. During the breeding season between 5-10 individuals are observed otherwise it is rarely encountered (India RLA/CNA workshop, October 2020). It is rather rare but detected regularly in areas where they are seen (Karthikeyan Vasudevan, pers. comm. October 2020). Populations are fragmented, and the species is believed to be declining throughout much of its range. |
| 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? | Yes / probably | Duttaphrynus hololius could be a good husbandry analog for this species (Karthikeyan Vasudevan, pers. comm. December 2020). |
| 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? | Yes | Potential flagship ranking: 4 (tourist), 2 (conservation practitioner), (Kanagavel et al. 2017). It is a bright red, diurnal species. |
| 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)? | Yes | Many museum specimens assigned to Bufo beddomi are misidentifications (Biju 2001). |
Citation:
Seshadri K.S., Sandeep Das, Nikhil Modal, S.R. Ganesh and Karthikeyan Vasudevan 2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Duttaphrynus beddomii, India
(AArk/ASG India Assessment Workshop).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/6820
Accessed 03 Feb 2025
