Abstract
We describe a new species of frog of the genus Zakerana discovered from the urban core of Dhaka, Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Although the new species is morphologically similar to the geographically proximate congeners in the Bangladeshi cricket frog group, we show that it can be distinguished from all congeners on the basis of morphological characters, advertisement calls and variation in two mitochondrial DNA genes (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA). Apart from several diagnostic differences in body proportions, the new species differs from other Zakerana species in having a flattened snout (from ventral view) projecting over the lower jaw, and diagnostic trapezoid-shaped red markings on the vocal sac in males. Molecular genetic analyses show that the new species is highly divergent (3.1–20.1% sequence divergence) from all congeneric species, and forms a well-supported clade with its sister species, Zakerana asmati. The discovery of a new amphibian species from the urban core of Dhaka together with several recent descriptions of new amphibian species from Bangladesh may indicate that more amphibian species remain to be discovered from this country.
Highlights
The rapid expansion of human activities, including urbanization, is widely recognized as a threat to local biodiversity (e.g., [1,2,3,4])
In the present paper we describe a new species of Zakerana from the urban core of Dhaka, one of the most densely populated mega cities in the world [35]
A New Species of Frog from a Mega City the new species is morphologically similar to the above-mentioned five congeners, we show that it can be distinguished on the basis of significant differences in morphology, bioacoustics, and genetic variability in two mitochondrial genes (16S and 12S rRNA)
Summary
The rapid expansion of human activities, including urbanization, is widely recognized as a threat to local biodiversity (e.g., [1,2,3,4]). Habitat loss and fragmentation have reduced population sizes and led to extinctions of many amphibian species in anthropogenically altered landscapes (e.g., [5,6,7,8,9]). Modern agricultural and forest management threatens over onethird of the world’s known amphibian species [10], and amphibian populations are facing severe persistence problems especially in mega cities [11,12,13,14,15]. The amphibian genus Zakerana is comprised of 20 recognized species [16,17]. In the present paper we describe a new species of Zakerana from the urban core of Dhaka (the capital of Bangladesh), one of the most densely populated mega cities in the world [35].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
