Purple Frog

• 08 May 2019

Why is it in News?

Purple Frog is soon to be honored as Kerala’s state frog.

About the Species:

• It is a rheophilic frog i.e. it survives in running water. It is endemic to the Western Ghats.
• It has been evolving independently for around 100 million years. Hence, it is an excellent example of Living Fossils.
• It is listed as ‘Endangered’ as per the IUCN Red List.
• It is also known as Maveli Frog or Pignose Frog.
• It is threatened due to deforestation from expanding cultivation, in addition to consumption and harvesting by local communities.
• Earlier they were confined only to Palghat Gap of Western Ghats, but now is seen all across the Western Ghats.

Palghat Gap:

• Palakkad Gap or Palghat gap is a mountainous gap present in between the Nilgiri hills and the Anaimalai Hills of Southern Hill Complex.
• Shenkota gap is present in the Cardamom Hills.
• Nilgiri, Anaimalai, Palani Hills and Cardamom Hills are collectively called as the ‘Southern Hill Complex”.
• Southern Hill Complex is neither a part of the Western Ghats nor a part of the Eastern gGhats.

Source: TH, G. C. Leong