Ayesha Akram

PMAS - Arid Agriculture University | PMAS-AAUR · Department of Zoology Wildlife and Fisheries

In Pakistan, the family Microhylidae is represented by two species: the Marbled Balloon Frog (Uperodon systoma) and Ant Frog (Microhyla nilphamariensis). Although these two frog species are listed as Least Concern (LC) in the IUCN red list of threatened species, the former is rare in Pakistan. When a species is not detected at certain locations, it...

The lack of information regarding biodiversity status hampers designing and implementing conservation strategies and achieving future targets. Northern Pakistan consists of a unique ecoregion mosaic which supports a myriad of environmental niches for anuran diversity in comparison to the deserts and xeric shrublands throughout the rest of the count...

We present new natural history data on abundance and movements (daily and seasonal) during the pre-breeding (March-June) and breeding-post-breeding season (July-September) of two poorly studied frog species of the Himalayas, Nanorana vicina and Allopaa hazarensis. We estimated 185 Murree Hills Frogs and 90 Hazara Frogs within the study area (0.79 h...

The scientific data on ecology of amphibians from Pakistan are scarce. Asian Common Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) is widely distributed in South Asia, and has been introduced outside its range causing severe ecological problems. We gathered data on morphometrics, habitat and breeding activity of the species in its western edge, North Punjab, Pa...

We recorded tadpoles of eight anuran species from subtropical scrub and pine forests (District Rawalpindi and Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan). These include Duttaphrynus melanostictus, Duttaphrynus stomaticus, Microhyla nilphamariensis, Euphlyctis spp., Minervarya spp., Allopaa hazarensis, Nanorana vicina, and Hoplobatrachus tigerinus. Our r...

We developed a method to investigate impacts of temperature (elevated) on breeding, growth and development in endemic frogs under laboratory conditions. The method provides details on housing and rearing of larvae, taking various important measurements and observing developmental deformities. The method could also be applied to rescue approach or h...

We recorded tadpoles of eight anuran species from subtropical scrub and pin forests (District Rawalpindi and Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan). These include Duttaphrynus melanostictus, Duttaphrynus stomaticus, Microhyla nilphamariensis, Euphylctis spp, Minervarya spp., Allopaa hazarensis, Nanorana vicina, and Hoplobatrachus tiherinus. Our res...

We developed a method to investigate impacts of temperature (elevated) on breeding, growth and development in endemic frogs under laboratory conditions. The method provides details on housing and rearing of larvae, taking various important measurements and observing developmental deformities. The method could also be applied to rescue approach or h...

Endemic anurans are particularly vulnerable to environmental changes, and are susceptible to population declines because of their restricted distribution ranges. The Murree Hills Frog Nanorana vicina and Hazara Torrent Frog Allopaa hazarensis are associated with the torrential streams and nearby clear water pools in subtropical chir pine forest and...

Wildlife monitoring programs are instrumental for the assessment of species, habitat status, and for the management of factors affecting them. This is particularly important for species found in freshwater ecosystems, such as amphibians, as they have higher estimated extinction rates than terrestrial species. We developed and validated two species-...

We identified the habitats where Murree Hills Frog (Nanorana vicina) and Hazara Torrent Frog (Allopaa hazarensis) are most likely to occur in Pakistan, and examined how their occurrence at a particular stream or water body is influenced by site and survey covariates. Although these two frog species are listed as Least Concern in the Red List of Thr...

Research on amphibians and their conservation have gained worldwide attention, as the group includes the highest number of threatened and Data Deficient species when compared to other vertebrates. However, amphibians have long been neglected in wildlife conservation, management decisions, policy making, and research agendas in Pakistan. In this pap...

The current study was focused on documentation of amphibian assemblage in North Punjab and Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, by using mitochondrial gene sequences of 16S rRNA. Our study entailed 37% of the known amphibian species of the country. We provided a phylogenetic analysis based on 74 newly generated mitochondrial 16S rRNAs from nine s...

Research on amphibians and their conservation have gained worldwide attention, as the group includes the highest number of threatened and Data Deficient species when compared to other vertebrates. However , amphibians have long been neglected in wildlife conservation, management decisions, policy making , and research agendas in Pakistan. In this p...

Research on amphibians and their conservation have gained worldwide attention, as the group includes-ever, amphibians have long been neglected in wildlife conservation, management decisions, policy making , and research agendas in Pakistan. In this paper, an annotated checklist of the 21 amphibian species genera Minervarya and Sphaerotheca (rusty d...

We identified the habitats where Murree Hills Frog (Nanorana vicina) and Hazara Torrent Frog (Allopaa hazarensis) are most likely to occur in Pakistan, and examined how their occurrence at a particular stream or water body is influenced by site and survey covariates. Although these two frog species are listed as Least Concern in the Red List of Thr...

Comprehensive ontogenic descriptions are vital for relating the growth patterns of amphibian taxa (Costa et al., 2010). Information on tadpole morphology and biology aids with identification of numerous species of amphibians and the understanding of their phylogenetic relationships (Hall et al., 1997). Morphometric comparisons of amphibians at diff...

The larvae of some amphibian species grow and develop more slowly at lower temperature and attain larger body size at the end of metamorphosis, but this is not true for all amphibians. We have for the first time provided empirical data by using a combination of field and lab-based studies with a robust sample size (360 adults, 1000 tadpoles) for Ha...

The genus Nanorana, also called Yunnan Slow Frogs (Frank & Ramus 1995), belongs to the family Dicroglossidae. Murree Hills Frog N. vicina, is an endemic species of Southeast Asian uplands in Pakistan and India and was first reported by Stoliczka (1872) from Murree, Punjab Province, Pakistan. Later Rais et al. (2014) recaptured it from its type loca...

we employed distance sampling using line transect method to gather data on abundance of Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus) in various habitats (wetland habitat, croplands, urban habitat and scrubland) during different seasons (winter: December, 2013 to February, 2014; summer: April-June, 2014) at Chakwal, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan. We...

We studied squamate diversity in 5 different croplands (wheat, sorghum, millet, maize and groundnut) of district Chakwal, North Punjab, Pakistan, in February and September, 2013, using area-constrained searches for squamates and line intercept method for vegetation. We recorded 11 squamate species (6 lizards; 5 snakes). Based on diversity index val...

Amphibians are sensitive to agricultural chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers. Data on responses of anuran species commonly found in agricultural areas of Pakistan to chemical pollution are lacking. We studied the effects of ammonium nitrate on survival of tadpoles of common skittering frog (Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis). Tadpoles were collecte...

Despite a global surge in research on amphibians and reptiles, insufficient work has been completed in Pakistan. We conducted the present study to examine factors influencing the diversity and spatial distribution of herpetofauna in the Chakwal District (Chakwal Tehsil), Punjab, Pakistan. We gathered data from March 2011 through July 2013 in select...

The quantification of anuran abundance and habitat provides valuable baseline data for future monitoring in areas of planned or anticipated human activities. We carried out the present study to see if anuran abundance is associated with habitat variables (water quality, gravel size and vegetation) in Rawalpindi/Islamabad Area, Pakistan. We used are...