Taxonomic Studies In Taxonomic Studies In Indian Indian BatrachologyBatrachology: : Patterns, Processes, Causes & ConsequencesPatterns, Processes, Causes & Consequences
Gururaja KV, Ph.D.,
Research Scientist, IISc, Bangalore
Flow of the talkFlow of the talk Batrachology in India Patterns◦ Taxonomic descriptions
over time, space, authors, etc.
Processes◦ Processes behind such
description Causes◦ Reasons for the spurt in
discoveries Consequences◦ What next! ◦ Journey of an ecologist in
Taxonomy!
Whom do you call amphibians?Whom do you call amphibians?
Those vertebrates that live both in water as well as land
That means ...we too?
Photo credit:http://divebarbados.net/Current%20Photos/Pictures/Green%20Turtle%201.jpghttp://www.kidcyber.com.au/IMAGES/hippoaggro_s.jpghttp://homepage.mac.com/wildlifeweb/reptile/gharial/gharial03tfk.jpg
In fact, amphibians are ...In fact, amphibians are ... Dual lifers ...◦ Two stages in life – a tadpole stage and an adult
stage◦ From Greek, Amphi – dual, bian – life forms
What’s unique in them?What’s unique in them? Generally, aquatic and terrestrial
inhabitants, Some are arboreal, and some fussorial too
MetamorphosisMetamorphosis
They metamorphose from tadpole to adult
Life span: from 10 months to 55 years
EctothermsEctotherms
Body temperature externally maintained
Basking in Sun
Hiding away from Sun
Skin breathersSkin breathers
AnamniotesAnamniotes
Eggs Eggs of a birdof a bird Eggs Eggs of a of a frogfrog
EvolutionEvolution
About 360 million years ago, late Devonian period
Triadobatrachus
Early amphibian!!!
Beelzebufo ampinga
SystematicsSystematics• Globally: 6638 species3 orders – Apoda (183species)
Caudata (597) Anura (5858)
• India: 3 orders – Apoda (33)Caudata (1), Anura (274)
apoda
caudata
anura
BatrachologyBatrachology in Indiain India As of today 308 species, belonging to 14 families,
54 genera (4.64% of 6638 species in the world), 248 Species described from India (80.5%)
124 authors, single species description to as many as 43 species
Since 2000, 81 new species (33%) with 46 papers on Taxonomy and taxonomy related issues, 12 on ecology, 6 on reproduction, 10 on others
So Taxonomy ‘rules’ at present Indian Batrachology!!!
Research in Research in BatrachologyBatrachology
Viviparity in caecilians
Geneophis seshachari
Gower et al., 2008. J Evol Biol. 21(5):1220-6
Other issues…Other issues…
Frog skipping tadpole stage
Gururaja and Ramachandra, 2006. Curr. Sci. 90(3):450-454
Other issues…Other issues…
Biju and Bossyut, 2003. Nature. 425: 711–714
India’s smallest frogIndia’s smallest frog
Biju et al., 2007. Current Science 93(6): 854-858.
Skin extracts and Skin extracts and pesticidalpesticidalimpacts…impacts…
1. Giri et al., 2006. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2006.06.0112. Sai et al., 2001. doi:10.1074/jbc.M006615200 3. Gurushankara et al., 2007. doi:10.1007/s00244-006-0015-5
Conservation and ManagementConservation and Management
Das, A., Krishnaswamy, J., Bawa, K. S., Kiran, M. C., Srinivas, V., Kumar, N. S., et al. 2006. Prioritization of conservation areas in the Western Ghats, India. Biological Conservation, 133, 16−31.
Gururaja KV, Sameer Ali and Ramachandra TV. 2008. Influence of land-use changes in river basins on diversity and distribution of amphibians. In: Environment Education for Ecosystem Conservation
Patterns exhibitedPatterns exhibited
Temporally
0
10
20
30
40
50
1799 1809 1819 1829 1839 1849 1859 1869 1879 1889 1899 1909 1919 1929 1939 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 1999 2009
# Sp
ecie
s
Year
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
1799 1809 1819 1829 1839 1849 1859 1869 1879 1889 1899 1909 1919 1929 1939 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 1999 2009
# Cu
mul
ativ
e Sp
ecie
s
Year
Patterns exhibited …Patterns exhibited …
Spatially
5353
141141
0 1 1 1 5 6 11
29
53
141
0
25
50
75
100
125
150
New
spec
ies
disc
over
ed
Patterns exhibitedPatterns exhibited
Spatially continued…
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
0
5
10
15
20
25
1799 1809 1819 1829 1839 1849 1859 1869 1879 1889 1899 1909 1919 1929 1939 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 1999 2009
Cum
ulat
ive
num
ber o
f spe
cies
# Sp
ecie
s
Western Ghats
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
5
10
15
20
25
1799 1809 1819 1829 1839 1849 1859 1869 1879 1889 1899 1909 1919 1929 1939 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 1999 2009
Cum
ulat
ive
num
ber o
f spe
cies
# Sp
ecie
s
North-east hills
Pattern exhibited …Pattern exhibited …
Family/Genera/Species
Family Genera SpeciesBufonidae 7 27Dicroglossidae 12 58Hylidae 1 1Megophryidae 4 16Micrixalidae 1 11Microhylidae 7 23Nasikabatrachidae 1 1Nyctibatrachidae 1 16Ranidae 6 28Ranixalidae 1 10Rhacophoridae 8 83Salamandridae 1 1Caeciliidae 2 12Ichthyophiidae 2 21
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
1850 1870 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1990 2010
# sp
ecie
s
Fejervarya
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
1850 1870 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1990 2010
# sp
ecie
s
Nyctibatrachus
0
10
20
30
40
50
1850 1870 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1990 2010
# sp
ecie
s
Philautus
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1850 1870 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1990 2010
# sp
ecie
sGegeneophis
Pseudophilautus
Gegeneophis
Nyctibatrachus
Fejervarya
Patterns exhibited …Patterns exhibited …
Authors per species
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1799 1809 1819 1829 1839 1849 1859 1869 1879 1889 1899 1909 1919 1929 1939 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 1999 2009
# A
utho
rs/S
peci
es
Year
Patterns exhibitedPatterns exhibited
Species per author (~ 2.5 per author, 124 authors)
5.0
9.0
5.0
6.0
11.0
7.0
17.0
17.0
12.0
11.0
11.0
23.0
26.0
15.0
18.0
19.0
43.0
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0 45.0 50.0
Blyth
Chanda
Scheinder
Stoliczka
Das
Anderson
Mathew
Sen
Pillai
Dubois
Annandale
Bossuyt
Biju
Jerdon
Rao
Gunther
Boulenger
Patterns exhibited …Patterns exhibited …
Specimen deposited
Collaborators/Institutes involved in description are on rise
Organization Specimens
ZSI 109
BNHS 39
NHM, London 63
Outside India 60
ProcessesProcesses
For temporal patterns◦ Historical perspective (pre-independence,
world war, post-independence)◦ Authors◦ Journals
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
1799 1809 1819 1829 1839 1849 1859 1869 1879 1889 1899 1909 1919 1929 1939 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 1999 2009
# Cu
mul
ativ
e Sp
ecie
s
Year
GüntherBoulenger
BijuBossuyt
AnnandaleRao
ProcessesProcesses For spatial patterns◦ War was the key!!◦ Biogeography!◦ Accessibility◦ Authors (work/origin): Biju, Rao, Pillai from
South India; Das, Chanda, Mathews from North East/Kolkata
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
0
5
10
15
20
25
1799 1809 1819 1829 1839 1849 1859 1869 1879 1889 1899 1909 1919 1929 1939 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 1999 2009
Cum
ulat
ive
num
ber o
f spe
cies
# Sp
ecie
s
Western Ghats
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
5
10
15
20
25
1799 1809 1819 1829 1839 1849 1859 1869 1879 1889 1899 1909 1919 1929 1939 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 1999 2009
Cum
ulat
ive
num
ber o
f spe
cies
# Sp
ecie
s
North-east hills
ProcessesProcesses
For Authors patterns◦ Passion/inquisitiveness◦ Advance in technology◦ Collaboration◦ Permission issues
CausesCauses◦ Global amphibian decline◦ Paradigm shift from IAC◦ Revision◦ Mess◦ Mudslinging◦ Taxonomic nirvana◦ Technological advancement
ConsequencesConsequences◦ Newer perspective ◦ Better understanding◦ Dynamic nature of taxonomy◦ Network is the best way ahead
Journey of an ecologist in Taxonomy!
Meanwhile,Meanwhile,N.hussainiN.hussaini became an invalid namebecame an invalid name
What was the reason?What was the reason?
No proper typification No specimen deposition in a museum No knowledge of ICZN Codes to the
authors To certain extent...”EGO”
What we did...?What we did...?
Called up first author! ... Joined hands with ZSI people, who
happened collect one individual with permission from Kudremukh
They also contacted first author...No response
Took decision, after an year of communication with first author, to publish it with a new name....
So N. So N. karnatakaensiskarnatakaensis...replaced ...replaced N.hussainiN.hussaini
Uproar among the seniors ...Uproar among the seniors ...
Deniels wrote “Taxonomic Vandalism...” in current Science
But we responded in most polite way, though protested to the Editor of the Journal on using such words and in most scientific way lambasted “Vandalism”
To look furtherTo look further Do not lose original tree
for phylogentic tree Integrate phylogenetics,
acoustics, osteology, etc...to understand a species better
Make taxonomy a passion and not a profession...
Take it to simpler level ...Heisenberg’s Principle
After Odem (1971)
Eight steps to Enlightenment and Eight steps to Enlightenment and Taxonomic Nirvana Taxonomic Nirvana –– EvanhuisEvanhuis (2007)(2007) enjoyment of nature enjoyment of collecting enjoyment of sorting enjoyment of the discovery enjoyment of researching taxonomic
literature enjoyment of describing enjoyment of submitting your
manuscript for publication. enjoyment of educating others
There was a time, when There was a time, when taxonomist used to describe more taxonomist used to describe more than 5 species in a single paperthan 5 species in a single paper
Now we are in such a time, where Now we are in such a time, where 5 papers are written on a single 5 papers are written on a single speciesspecies
Do not get into the ‘RAT Do not get into the ‘RAT RACE’RACE’
AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements
www.wikipedia.org for photographs of Boulenger, Gunther, Jerdon and Annandale
Current Science for CRN Rao’sphotograph
Advance wishes for Advance wishes for SAVE THE FROG DAY
(APRIL 30TH 2010)
Thank you