Hazara Torrent Frog Paa hazarensis FACT FILE: Local Name: Unknown Family: RANIDAE Genus: Paa Status: Rare and restricted Warning: None    Photo Credit: Dr. Muhammad Sharif Khan     Description and Biology: Head longer than wide; dorsal tubercles on short longitudinal folds; naris above the canthus; fewer or no tubercles in the interorbital region; forelimbs enlarged in breeding males, with nuptial spines on inner finger and metacarpal tubercle.   Tadpole:  In the tadpole, the anteroventral oral disc is bordered with two rows of long papillae which are widely interrupted anteromedially; posteriorly it is uninterrupted and has 3 rows of papillae. Anterior labium has 8 tooth rows of which 7 are medially interrupted. The posterior labium has 3 rows of teeth of which 2 are interrupted. The labial tooth row formula is 8 (7)/3(2). The beak is large, with preoral half strongly arched and finely serrated, overhanging similar postoral half (Khan and Malik 1987a). Total length of the tadpole 75 mm, tail 65 mm.   Biology: This frog frequents quieter and clear water pools in the bed of a torrent or waterfalls. It feeds on water-visiting insects. It breeds from March to May; call is low-pitched, barely heard away from the torrent. Large eggs are laid singly and are enclosed in a double jelly capsule. The tadpole is a typical Himalayan torrenticole habits (fast-moving aquatic habitats). It feeds on algal growths on the surface of submerged stones. Tadpoles of Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis also occur in these pools. During rainy season, to avoid the fast flow of water, the tadpoles either migrate into crevices under stones where the force of flow is minimum, or hold on to the surface of rocks with the oral disc which acts as an effective sucker giving the tadpoles a very firm hold. Habitat, Distribution and Status: This frog is known from torrents in the Rush Valley in Hazara Division, NWFP, Pakistan. The tadpole lives in pools of clear water in the course of torrents. Possible reasons for amphibian decline: General habitat alteration and loss Habitat modification from deforestation, or logging related activities Urbanization Prolonged drought Habitat fragmentation Local pesticides, fertilizers, and pollutants Long-distance pesticides, toxins, and pollutants Predators (natural or introduced)   Paa hazarensis () Map Credit: Dr. Muhammad Sharif Khan     References and Credits: Written by M. S. Khan ([email protected]), Herp Lab, Rabwah, Pakistan Edited by vtv (2002-05-24 ) AmphibiaWeb database, University of California at Berkeley  ( http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/aw/index.html ) Nausherwan Ahmed ©1997-2004 Wildlife of Pakistan-All Rights Reserved.