Abundance estimation and factors affecting the occurrence of Narrow-mouthed Frogs in a subtropical scrub forest, Pakistan.

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 can indicate that the species may be truly absent or not detected despite concerted efforts, which could pose a serious issue for conservation efforts. Here we estimate the abundance and determine if the likelihood of occurrence of U. systoma and M. nilphamariensis was influenced by the site and survey covariates using logistic regression in a subtropical scrub forest (Rawalpindi-Islamabad, Pakistan). We did not record U. systoma from the 24 sampled sites either through active searching or pitfall trapping. We recorded 37 M. nilphamariensis from eight of the 24 sampled sites. Our findings could be used to update the conservation status of the studied narrow-mouthed frog species in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]