Biometrical Analysis and Distribution of Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Anura: Bufonidae) in Dehradun region of Western Himalaya

Abstract

Duttaphrynus melanostictus, known as common Indian toad is a widely distributed species of south Asia including Indian subcontinent region. This study was performed to investigate the biometry of this toad in Dehradun region of Western Himalaya. A total of 44 samples comprising 19 males and 25 females were observed and analyzed for their morphometric and qualitative characters during breeding season. Morphological characteristics among the samples were more expressed in morphometric rather than qualitative characters. Sexual size dimorphism was observed biased towards female in terms of snout vent length (SVL) with other characters. SVL was ranged from 43.25mm to 59.21mm and from 53.65 to 77.43mm in males and females respectively. A significant positive correlation (p