Employing citizen science to understand amphibian and reptile diversity and distribution in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan

Wangyal, Jigme Tshelthrim; Bower, Deborah S.; Vernes, Karl; Thinley, Phuntsho

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02157

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Mobile phones are widely used throughout Melanesia, so app- and online-based identification resources may become increasingly accessible. Smartphone-friendly citizen science platforms like iNaturalist 56 or even Facebook groups 57 also provide potentially powerful resources through which locally collected data can be captured, vetted and disseminated, although their use is currently limited in Melanesia due to patchy internet coverage in many areas. Working with and supporting people from Melanesia to explore and increase the use of these resources could help to ensure longer-term preservation and accessibility of species records and associated data.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Melanesia holds the world’s most diverse and intact insular amphibian fauna

Oliver

Bower

McDonald³

et al. 2022

Commun Biol

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Identifying hotspots of biological diversity is a key step in conservation prioritisation. Melanesia—centred on the vast island of New Guinea—is increasingly recognised for its exceptionally species-rich and endemic biota. Here we show that Melanesia has the world’s most diverse insular amphibian fauna, with over 7% of recognised global frog species in less than 0.7% of the world’s land area, and over 97% of species endemic. We further estimate that nearly 200 additional candidate species have been discovered but remain unnamed, pointing to a total fauna in excess of 700 species. Nearly 60% of the Melanesian frog fauna is in a lineage of direct-developing microhylids characterised by smaller distributions than co-occurring frog families, suggesting lineage-specific high beta diversity is a key driver of Melanesian anuran megadiversity. A comprehensive conservation status assessment further highlights geographic concentrations of recently described range-restricted threatened taxa that warrant urgent conservation actions. Nonetheless, by world standards, the Melanesian frog fauna is relatively intact, with 6% of assessed species listed as threatened and no documented extinctions; and thus it provides an unparalleled opportunity to understand and conserve a megadiverse and relatively intact insular biota.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Melanesia holds the world’s most diverse and intact insular amphibian fauna

Oliver

Bower

McDonald³

et al. 2022

Commun Biol

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“…2021). Citizen science and iNaturalist observations have been used to detect species previously unknown to science (Winterton 2020) and to explore species occupancy and distribution in areas with no systematic research institutions and scarce funding for science (Wangyal et al 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of iNaturalist data is also increasing in studies on rare or endangered species both for monitoring and tracking the effects of conservation efforts (Wilson et al 2020) and even to study the effects of recent pandemic events (Vardi et al 2021). Citizen science and iNaturalist observations have been used to detect species previously unknown to science (Winterton 2020) and to explore species occupancy and distribution in areas with no systematic research institutions and scarce funding for science (Wangyal et al 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can we trust iNaturalist in lichenology? Evaluating the effectiveness and reliability of artificial intelligence in lichen identification

Munzi,

Isocrono,

Ravera

2023

The Lichenologist

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AbstractiNaturalist is a widely-utilized platform for data collection and sharing among non-professional volunteers and is widely employed in citizen science. This platform's data are also used in scientific studies for a wide range of purposes, including tracking changes in species distribution, monitoring the spread of alien-invasive species, and assessing the impacts of urbanization and land-use change on biodiversity. Lichens, due to their year-round presence on trees, soil and rocks, and their diverse shapes and colours, have captured the attention of iNaturalist users, and lichen records are widely represented on the platform. However, due to the complexity of lichen identification, the use of data collected by untrained, or poorly trained volunteers in scientific investigation poses concerns among lichenologists. To address these concerns, this study assessed the reliability of lichen identification by iNaturalist users by comparing records on the platform with identifications carried out by experts (experienced lichenologists) in three cities where citizen science projects were developed. Results of this study caution against the use of unchecked data obtained from the platform in lichenology, demonstrating substantial inconsistency between results gathered by iNaturalist users and experts.

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“…However, recent research has added a significant number of species of amphibians (Wangyal and Gurung 2012;Wangyal 2014;Wangyal and Das 2014;Wangyal and Gurung 2017;Wangyal et al 2020;Wangyal et al 2022) for the Kingdom, some of which, according to Mohany et al (2022), require further confirmation using additional study methods including molecular genetics. These new records of the species from the Kingdom suggests that many species are yet to be formally recorded from Bhutan.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After collecting the morphometric data, such as the Head width (HW), Snout-vent length (SVL), Tibia length (TBL); Interorbital distance (IOD), Head length (HL), Eye diameter (ED), Internarial distance (IND), Eye-nostril distance (END), Foot length (FL), Tympanum diameter (TD), Thigh length (ThL), Snout length (SL), Hand length (HL), Forearm length (FAL), etc., the species was euthanized, preserved, and stored at the research section of the Samtse Forest Division, Samtse, Bhutan. Few specimens were subsequently collected since it is against the religious ethos of the mostly Buddhist communities in Bhutan who consider capturing and euthanizing animals as a sin (Wangyal and Das 2014;Wangyal et al 2022).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

First record of Maskey's Burrowing Frog, Sphaerotheca maskeyi (Schleich and Anders, 1998) from Bhutan

Wangyal¹,

Tashi²,

Chogyel³

2022

Preprint

Self Cite

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We report the first record of Maskey's Burrowing Frog, Sphaerotheca maskeyi (Schleich and Anders 1998) in Bhutan based on diagnostic morphological features such as the crepe-like (finely wrinkled) dorsal surface without warts, folds or tubercles with uniform colouration; the tibiotarsal articulation touching the tympanum; an inner metatarsal tubercle distinctly longer than the first toe; smooth skin on throat and breast where it is granular between axilla and groin; no outer metatarsal and tibiotarsal tubercles. Our record of S. maskeyi at Yangpelthang, Norgaygang, Samtse District represents the eastern-most observation of the species, ca. 453 km east of its type locality, Chitwan, Nepal and is the first record for Bhutan. It was recorded at an elevation of 380 metres above sea level on the foothills of the mid-Bhutan Himalayan mountains, well away from the protected area system of Bhutan but not far from the Indian border of West Bengal State’s Jalpaiguri District. This species is listed as Least Concerned by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). However, in Bhutan the species warrants detailed inventory and conservation interventions since it is recorded for the first time from just one location and that too from an area outside the protected area network.

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Employing citizen science to understand amphibian and reptile diversity and distribution in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan

Cited by 7 publications

References 33 publications

Melanesia holds the world’s most diverse and intact insular amphibian fauna

Melanesia holds the world’s most diverse and intact insular amphibian fauna

Can we trust iNaturalist in lichenology? Evaluating the effectiveness and reliability of artificial intelligence in lichen identification

First record of Maskey's Burrowing Frog, Sphaerotheca maskeyi (Schleich and Anders, 1998) from Bhutan

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Employing citizen science to understand amphibian and reptile diversity and distribution in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan

Cited by 7 publications

References 33 publications

Melanesia holds the world’s most diverse and intact insular amphibian fauna

Melanesia holds the world’s most diverse and intact insular amphibian fauna

Can we trust iNaturalist in lichenology? Evaluating the effectiveness and reliability of artificial intelligence in lichen identification

First record of Maskey&#39;s Burrowing Frog, Sphaerotheca maskeyi (Schleich and Anders, 1998) from Bhutan

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First record of Maskey's Burrowing Frog, Sphaerotheca maskeyi (Schleich and Anders, 1998) from Bhutan