New survey data on abundance and movements for two poorly known Asian Spiny Frogs

Abstract

We present new natural history data on abundance and movements (daily and seasonal) during the pre-breeding (March-June) and breeding-post-breeding season (July-September) of two poorly studied frog species of the Himalayas, Nanorana vicina and Allopaa hazarensis. We estimated 185 Murree Hills Frogs and 90 Hazara Frogs within the study area (0.79 ha). The daily and seasonal movement data showed that the two species moved either between neighboring ponds or remained in an array of smaller ponds (within an area of 120 m2) along the stream bank. About 75% of movements were < 29.5 m in N. vicina and < 50.87 m in A. hazarensis during pre-breeding season while < 41.5 m in N. vicina and < 81 m in A. hazarensis during breeding-post-breeding season. We suggest inclusion of amphibian habitat requirements and ensuring stream connectivity in urban planning and development projects in the area to prevent the local extinction of the endemic species. In the future, more robust and long-term studies, encompassing more streams situated within a wider area, would help clarify dispersal, colonization, metapopulation structure, and dynamics of these endemic frogs of the forested montane streams in the Himalayan Foothills.