Context:
Scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India studied the Amolops formosus in two Himalayan streams of the Churdhar Wildlife Sanctuary to gain insights into how water flow impacts the presence and abundance of the species in Western Himalayan streams.
Relevance:
Facts for Prelims
Assam Cascade Frog:
Distribution
- Habitat: The Assam cascade frog is predominantly found in the Himalayan regions of India, extending into high-gradient streams of northern Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.
Ecological Significance
- Indicator Species: This frog serves as a crucial indicator for assessing the health and condition of hilly stream environments.
Biological Characteristics
- Genus Diversity: Belongs to the genus Amolops, which includes 72 distinct species that inhabit fast-flowing streams across southern and Southeast Asia.
- Adaptations: Adapted to their aquatic habitats with special features like adhesive disks and circum-marginal grooves on their digits, which facilitate attachment to rocky substrates in swift stream currents.
Names and Identification
- Synonyms: Known variously as the Assam sucker frog, beautiful stream frog, or hill stream frog.
Conservation Status
- IUCN Classification: Listed as Least Concern, indicating that it currently faces no immediate threat of extinction.
-Source: The Hindu
