Wildlifeof India
Minervarya goemchi
True Frogs, Night Frogs & AlliesMinervarya goemchi
Basic stats
Habitat
High-elevation plateaus near paddy fields and ponds
Range
Western Ghats of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka (type locality Surla, Goa, 700 m)
Size
41-46 mm (snout-vent length)
Minervarya goemchi, first described as Fejervarya goemchi, is a large, brown terrestrial frog of the Western Ghats highlands. It was described in 2017 by a team led by K. P. Dinesh of the Zoological Survey of India with Nirmal Kulkarni, Priyanka Swami and P. Deepak, from Surla village in Goa at about 700 m. The name honours Goa: goemchi is the Konkani word for 'of Goa'. It measures 41 to 46 mm, is sister to the Kudremukh burrowing frog and lives alongside the CEPF burrowing frog. (news reports on the original description).
It is found on high plateaus near paddy fields and ponds. Activity peaks from the start of the monsoon through the post-monsoon months, and although the frog is terrestrial it needs water bodies to breed. Frogs of this group look very alike, so the team separated the species using shape, distribution and DNA together. (news reports on the original description).
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Minervarya goemchi live in?
- High-elevation plateaus near paddy fields and ponds
- Where is the Minervarya goemchi found?
- Western Ghats of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka (type locality Surla, Goa, 700 m)
- How big is the Minervarya goemchi?
- 41-46 mm (snout-vent length)