Sir

The discovery of the purple or pignose frog Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis was recently reported by two groups (see Nature 425, 711–714; 2003, and Current Science 86, 211–216; 2004). The sole member of the family Nasikabatrachidae, this creature evolved some 50 million years earlier than any other known frog in India.

Remarkably, the frog was well known to local people, suggesting that science does not pay enough attention to local knowledge.

This ‘new’ discovery was the culmination of many field studies on herpetofauna that gained momentum during the 1990s in the Western Ghats. In a News and Views article, “The coelacanth of frogs” (Nature 425, 669–670; 2003), Blair Hedges decries the policy carried out by some governments of restricting foreigners' access to biodiversity hot spots, and considers this an impediment to the discovery of rare and endangered species.

However, both of the groups who arrived at these results relied minimally on Western expertise and infrastructure. There is still a need for dedicated molecular-genetics facilities for ecology and evolutionary biology in developing countries. Building local capacity and infrastructure may be the best way to accelerate the discovery of new species in remote areas, and this is where responsible scientists must focus their efforts.

The purple frog also has important conservation implications. Inundation of large chunks of valley forests in the Western Ghats by dam projects could spell disaster to this ancient amphibian and many other endemic taxa. Nasikabatrachus can be used as a flagship to promote the conservation of important habitats in the region.