Why In News?

Karnataka's Forest, Ecology and Environment Department has declared the Malabar Tree Toad (locally "Malenadina Mara Gantikappe") as the State Amphibian. 

What Is The Malabar Tree Toad?

Identity

  • Scientific Name: Pedostibes tuberculosus.  

  • Monotypic Genus: It is the only species in the genus Pedostibes.  

  • Local Names: Malenadina Mara Gantikappe or Petu.  

Discovery And Rediscovery

  • First Described: In 1876. 

  • Lost For Over A Century: It was not seen for more than 100 years.  

  • Rediscovered: In 1980, in Silent Valley National Park, Kerala.  

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Habitat And Distribution

  • Endemic: Found only in India's Western Ghats.  

  • Forests: Lives along streams, on trees and in tree cavities in evergreen to moist deciduous forests.  

  • Altitude: From about 50 m to over 1,000 m above sea level.  

Unique Features

  • Tree-Dwelling Toad: Unlike most Indian toads, which live on the ground, it is India's only arboreal toad, able to climb and live in trees.  

  • Breeding: It comes down to breed in water pools at stream edges, with its breeding cycle running from about March to June. 

Conservation Status

  • IUCN Red List: Endangered

  • Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule II

Karnataka's State Symbols 

Symbol

Species

State Animal

Asian Elephant

State Bird

Indian Roller

State Tree

Sandalwood

State Flower

Lotus

State Butterfly

Southern Birdwing

State Amphibian

Malabar Tree Toad (new)

Source: NEWINDIANEXPRESS

 

 

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements about the Malabar Tree Toad:

1. It is the only species in the genus Pedostibes.

2. It was first described in 1876.

3. It is endemic to the Western Ghats.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Answer: (c)

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The Malabar Tree Toad (Pedostibes tuberculosus) is the only surviving species in the monotypic genus Pedostibes. Other Southeast Asian species that were previously in this genus were moved to a new genus (Rentapia) in 2016.

Statement 2 is correct: It was first described in 1876 by the zoologist Albert Günther. Following its discovery, it was lost to science for over a century until its rediscovery in 1980 at Silent Valley National Park, Kerala.

Statement 3 is correct: It is a unique arboreal amphibian that is completely endemic to the Western Ghats of India, found across states like Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.