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Euphlyctis jaladhara                                                   

24th February, 2022 Environment

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Context: Euphlyctis jaladhara, a new species of frog, is considered the living link between the vertebrate life in water and land discovered.

Discovered from: Freshwater bodies of the western coastal plains of India. 

Discovery by: scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Mount Carmel College (MCC), Bengaluru, and the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar.

Other details:

  • It was first spotted in fresh water bodies around the Thattekad Bird Sanctuary in Ernakulam.
  • Found: All along the western coastal plains from Kerala to Gujarat.
  • Amphibians are the “living link between the vertebrate life in water and land”.
  • Indicator species: They were the first vertebrate organisms to get affected due to water pollution due to their primitive body plan. Members of the aquatic frog genus ‘Euphlyctis’ are important bioindicators for freshwater

Thattekad Bird Sanctuary

  • It was the first bird sanctuary in Kerala.
  • It is an evergreen low-land forest located between the branches of the Periyar River, the longest river in Kerala.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/researchers-discover-new-frog-species-from-western-coastal-plains/article65073401.ece?homepage=true