Marbled Balloon Frog Uperodon systoma   FACT FILE: Local Name: Marmareen maindak (Urdu) Family: MICROHYLIDAE Genus: Uperodon Status: very rare Warning: None    Photo Credit: Image not Available     Description and Biology: Short round, stout body, kept round like a ball.  Color:  Body dorsum with more or less symmetrical dark brown pattern on a pinkish brown background. Ventrum whitish immaculate. Biology: A completely underground species, comes out only during summer monsoons. Moves by small hops or slowly walks on the ground. It is a weak swimmer, usually floats, it is known to be an excellent burrower, quickly burrowing into the loose moist soil up to 1-1.5 m. During dry months it retreats into the moist environs of termite nests, that form its main food item. It may live for 13 months without food. The lungs are kept inflated because of which frog is globular-shaped. The breeding season is monsoon rains. The males calls from the banks of streams or paddy fields, like bleating of a goat, and during calling the subgular vocal sac is distended so enormously it looks like a float. The eggs are laid in masses which float on the surface of the water. Habitat, Distribution and Status: Uperodon systoma is a very rare frog in Pakistan. Recently a specimen was collected from the foot of Shakarparian Hills, Islamabad, from the side of a stream during a wet May night, however this species is widely distributed in southern and eastern India, extending into northern Sri Lanka. 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) Uperodon systoma  () Map Credit: Map not available     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 ©1997-2005 Wildlife of Pakistan-All Rights Reserved. Updated July 4th, 2005