Myristica swamp treefrog (Mercurana myristicapalustris), a rare arboreal species endemic to the Western Ghats.
- It has been recorded for the first time north of the Shencottah gap in the Vazhachal Reserve Forest in Kerala’s Thrissur district.
- The study related to the discovery has been published in the December 2020 issue of Reptiles & Amphibians, an international journal.
- The frog was first spotted in 2013 in the Myristica swamps of Arippa, near the Kulathupuzha Reserve Forest, in the western foothills of Agasthyamalai, in Kollam district.
- The current species was spotted 170 km north of Arippa.
- These frogs are rare and elusive for the reason that they are arboreal and active only for a few weeks during their breeding season.
(Source: The Hindu)
