In News
- Recently, the Bush frogs have been identified as cardamom-friendly which helps in killing moths that are known to destroy cardamom’s pseudostem, a major menace faced by farmers.
About
- Scientific Name: Raorchestes ponmudi.
- It is a species of frog in the Rhacophoridae family.
- Life Cycle: The bush frog’s life cycle is entirely different unlike other frog species and water sources are not primarily needed for the growth of its eggs.
- Food: It eats up the shoot borer Conogethes punctiferalis that enters through immature panicles and attacks the shoots and stems, thus destroying cardamom plants, often on a large scale.
- Distribution: The bush frog is widely found in the Ponmudi area of the Western Ghats (endemic to the Western Ghats)and is familiar to cardamom planters.
- The bush frog is also common in the CHR (Cardamom Hill Reserve) areas of Udumbanchola and Peerumade in the Idukki district.
- Threats: Aggressive pesticide application is a threat to the bush frog.
- IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
Image Courtesy: TH
Source: TH
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