New Toad Species

About New Toad Species

• It is the third of a genus bufoides found only in a very narrow area in northeast India.
• This species has interdigital webbing, colouration, skin tuberculation, and the presence of ovoid, tuberculated and depressed parotid glands.
• The two earlier known species from the genus ‘bufoides’ – Bufoides meghalayanus and Bufoides kempi – were found in Meghalaya.
• The new species has been named after S Bhupathy, a noted herpetologist.

Key facts about Dampa Tiger Reserve

• It is located in the western flank (Lushai Hills) of Mizoram.
• It was declared as a tiger reserve under the Project Tiger initiative in 1994.
• On the West, the reserve is bound by the Chittagong hill tracts (Sazek hill range) of Bangladesh.
• The terrain is hilly with elevation ranging from 49 to 1095 m. above mean sea level.
• The highest point of the reserve is the Chhawrpialtlang with an altitude of 1095m. Other peaks are Dampatlang (869 M) and Pathlawilunglentlang (780 m).
• Vegetation: The vegetation of the reserve ranges from tropical evergreen to semi-evergreen forests.
• The habitat is drained by the River Khawthlangtuipui in the West and the Teirei River to the East. The tributaries of Teirei, viz. Keisalam, Seling and Aivapui also flow through the reserve.
• Fauna: The major fauna includes Hoolock Gibbon, Rhesus Macaque, Assamese Macaque, Pig-Tailed Macaque, Stump-Tailed Macaque and Phayre’s Leaf Monkey etc
• Flora: It is rich in n flora such as Dipterocarpus turbinatus, Dipterocarpus marcocarpus, Terminalia myriocarpa and Michelia champaca, etc.

Q1: What is Project Tiger?

Project Tiger is a conservation program aimed at protecting the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), India's national animal, and its habitat. It was launched in India in 1973, making it one of the earliest and most successful wildlife conservation initiatives in the world.

Source: New toad species discovered in Dampa tiger reserve of Mizoram