'Brown Blotched Bengal Tree Frog' found in Bangladesh

'Brown Blotched Bengal Tree Frog' has been found in Bangladesh for the first time.

An article published on June 9 in Herpetology Notes of European Herpetological Society, revealed the information.

Researchers claimed that until it was found in Bangladesh, it was thought to be an endemic species of India.

A group of researchers encountered an adult female Polypedates bengalensis on June 12, 2018 at Natima union in Maheshpur upazila under Jhineidah District in southwestern Bangladesh, the article said.

But then, they considered it as an undetermined member of the genus Polypedates, it added.

Later, the specimen was identified as Brown Blotched Bengal Tree Frog based on the keys provided by Purkayastha et al. (2019).

The locality where this frog was found in Bangladesh, was an urban residential area, covered with homestead vegetation and bamboo thickets. Around 10:00pm at night, they observed the frog after heavy rainfall near a tube-well pool.

Ashis Kumar Datta, one of the researchers said, 'We captured the adult female, which was measured, photographed and preserved as a voucher specimen and deposited into the collection of the Wildlife Museum, Department of Zoology, Jahangirnagar University."

"The occurrence of this species in Bangladesh and available habitat information resembles the reported urban habitat type of India. We suggest a systematic survey covering a larger area to assess its population size, habitat, ecology, and existing threats to improve knowledge on this little-known species," he added.

According to the research, the site in Bangladesh is very close to the type locality of Polypedates bengalensis in India and the specimen showed similar meristic and morphometric characteristics.

The straight-line distances between this site and the type localities (Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas District, India and Khordanahala, South 24 Parganas District, India) are about 81 km and 141 km, respectively.

Mentionable, The Brown Blotched Bengal Tree Frog, Polypedates bengalensis was first sighted in Khordanahala and Madhyagram of West Bengal in India. Later, the species was documented in Odisha too.