Amphibian fauna of Pakistan with notes on future prospects of research and conservation

The research on amphibians and their conservation efforts have gained worldwide attention, since the group includes the highest number of threatened and data deficient species when compared with other vertebrates. However, amphibians have long been neglected in wildlife conservation, management decisions, policy making and research agendas in Pakistan.  In this paper, the annotated checklist of the 21 amphibian species of Pakistan, the key to their identification, and detailed discussions on the occurrence of variation in species including the genera Minervarya, and Sphaerotheca are provided. We found statistically significant difference in the morphometric measurements of males but non-significant difference in the females of the two forms (rusty dorsum and dotted dorsum) of S. maskeyi. Some genera, such as Microhyla, Uperodon, Minervarya, Allopaa, Chrysopaa, Euphlyctis, Nanorana and Sphaerotheca that are found in Pakistan need additional data to compare molecular taxonomy and detailed comparisons with those found in other South Asian countries. Predicaments in amphibian research in Pakistan are discussed, gaps identified, and suggestions have been made. Although the likelihood of occurrence of chytrid fungus in Pakistan is predicted to be low, the data deficiency merits studying the prevalence of the fungus, particularly in the northern regions of the country which exhibit complex and dynamic ecosystems. It is recommended to conduct systematic and coordinated surveys throughout the country to build a data base on species occurrence and distribution. Additionally, monitoring of wild populations, threat mitigation, and appropriate legislation are suggested as long term measures. By adopting an inclusive wildlife conservation approach in Pakistan, amphibians could be integrated into wildlife conservation and management efforts.

两栖动物及其保护研究已受到全球广泛关注，因为相较于其他脊椎动物类群，两栖动物中受威胁物种与数据缺失物种的数量均居首位。然而长期以来，巴基斯坦的野生动物保护、管理决策、政策制定及科研议程中，两栖动物始终处于被忽视的境地。本研究提供了巴基斯坦21种两栖动物的注释名录、物种鉴定检索表，并详细探讨了包括棱蛙属（Minervarya）和球蟾属（Sphaerotheca）在内的类群的种内变异现象。研究发现，马斯基球蟾（Sphaerotheca maskeyi）的两种色斑型（锈色背部与斑点背部）的雄性个体形态测量指标存在统计学显著差异，而雌性个体则无显著差异。巴基斯坦境内分布的狭口蛙属（Microhyla）、扁手蛙属（Uperodon）、棱蛙属（Minervarya）、异蟾属（Allopaa）、金蟾属（Chrysopaa）、水蛙属（Euphlyctis）、倭蛙属（Nanorana）以及球蟾属（Sphaerotheca）等类群，仍需补充数据以开展分子分类学研究，并与其他南亚国家分布的同类群进行详细比对。本研究还探讨了巴基斯坦两栖动物研究面临的困境，明确了现存研究空白，并提出了针对性建议。尽管预测巴基斯坦境内壶菌（chytrid fungus）的发生概率较低，但数据缺失的现状仍值得对该真菌的流行情况展开研究，尤其是在生态系统复杂且动态多变的巴基斯坦北部地区。建议在全国范围内开展系统性、协同性的调查，以建立物种出现记录与分布数据库。此外，建议将野生种群监测、威胁缓解及完善立法作为长期保护举措。通过在巴基斯坦推行包容性野生动物保护策略，可将两栖动物纳入野生动物保护与管理工作体系当中。