Shillong, Feb 26: The revised checklist of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) shows an increased number of species in 2023.
In 2009 the total number of Indian amphibian species recorded in the checklist was 284 while now, after a decade the checklist records a 454 species (which is more than 150% upsurge in documentation in one decade). The list was published earlier this month.
Since 2009, ZSI scientists, in collaboration with other Indian institutes, have been updating the Indian amphibian checklist periodically.
The updated checklist includes systematic classification with scientifically updated species names and year of discovery with their IUCN Red List conservation status, available till January 2023, according to a statement. Additionally common names have been proposed from the Indian amphibian perspective to facilitate the easy identification of the amphibian species locally by layman.
Among the amphibians listed, 21 species are treated as critically endangered and 41 as endangered. It highlights 22% of amphibians as data deficient species and about 32% as not assessed as per Red List conservation status of IUCN. It is high time to assess the IUCN conservation status for the Indian ‘Data Deficient 22% (99 species) and ‘Not Assessed’ 32% (145 species) category of amphibians based on species specific field explorations.
This updated comprehensive checklist will help students of Herpetology, researchers and conservation scientists as well as policy makers to understand the diversity of Indian amphibians and their up-to-date scientific nomenclature as well as common name.
This checklist is compiled by research scientists Dr KP Dinesh from ZSI, Western Regional Centre, Pune, Dr C. Radhakrishnan from Calicut, Dr BH Channakeshavamurthy from ZSI, Calicut, P. Deepak from Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru, and Nirmal U Kulkarni from the Mhadei Research Centre, Goa.
