Hyderabad: Scientists from Hyderabad are spearheading conservation efforts for Bhupathy’s Purple Frog (Nasikabatrachus bhupati), a mysterious amphibian dating back 80 million years to the time of the Gondwana supercontinent. Known as the ‘Jewel of Gondwana,’ this elusive frog spends most of its life underground and emerges only during the first heavy monsoon rains to breed.
Researchers at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), led by herpetologist Dr. Kartikeyan Vasudevan, are tracking and conserving the species using bioacoustic technology that detects the frog’s unique mating calls from beneath the soil. Since its discovery in 2017 by a CCMB team including Dr. S Jegath Janani and Dr. Ramesh K Aggarwal, genetic barcoding and acoustic analysis have confirmed the frog’s distinctiveness from its close relative, the Indian Purple Frog.
Critically endangered due to its small habitat range threatened by pollution, water extraction, and habitat loss, Bhupathy’s Purple Frog is challenging to monitor because of its burrowing nature. To counter this, the CCMB team also trains local wildlife officials to recognize and protect critical breeding sites—typically fast-flowing rocky streams in the Western Ghats.
This ongoing research and conservation program, based in Hyderabad, aims to accurately estimate the population and ensure the survival of this ancient, unique species.
