By Vijitha Yapa

The well-known British publisher John Beau­foy who has published many books on Sri Lanka has come out with yet another masterpiece, which has been a long felt need in our country’s natural history collection.

All 120 species of Sri Lankan frogs, toads and caecilians are listed in the work – with over 400 specimen photos and 100 distribution maps. Many of these creatures are endemic to the island. The book also explores the role of these amphibians in archeology, history, traditional medicine and folklore.

Frogs have been a part of many countries’ histories. Ancient Egypt had Heqet, the goddess of fertility, who identified with Hathor and was represented as a frog.

Other notable features in the book range from the tadpole that turns into a frog and sheds its skin later, as well as some specimens that even eat those very same shed follicles!

Some cultures look at frogs in awe and as being symbols of recreation. The Olmecs of Mexico for example, created images of a ‘toad god of rebirth’ that ate its skin, believing that toads were reborn by consuming parts of their bodies.

One wonders whether there are references to this in local folklore as well…

An ancient bronze cast of a frog placed in a relic box – which also contained casts of crabs, fish, water snakes and freshwater terrapins together with an effigy of the goddess Lakshmi – was discovered in a tank in Anuradhapura. This may be an indication that the ritual was connected with a belief that frogs helped keep aquatic ecosystems clean.

The authors also point to the discovery of a properly built solid gold cast of a frog made in the 6th century. They lament that a major problem associated with the conservation of biodiversity in Sri Lanka is a lack of sustain­ed investment in research and applied management.

A green leaf-nesting shrub frog, which is an endangered species, features on the cover; it looks too common however, and I would have preferred the dull green shrub frog that’s featured on the title page.

It was Professor in Zoology at the University of Peradeniya Dr. Priyanka De Silva who en­couraged the authors to produce this tome. They admit that the work is not comprehensive and provide references for those who want more information online. They’ve also included their email addresses so that further details can be made available to serious readers.

The value of this book is that there’s much information that’s not normally found in works of its kind. We learn in the Harita-Mata Jataka story that Lord Buddha was once born as a frog. Folklore suggests that spotting a frog before leaving on a journey indicates that it will be a good trip.

Even the story of Andare being called upon by King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe to get rid of a frog that was disturbing his sleep is recorded in the book.

The court jester had arrived with a bow and arrow, and asked the king where the frog was. The king was clueless but pointed in the direction from which the noise originated. Andare shot off an arrow in its direction – and from that day, the croaking stopped. The king rewarded him with the title ‘Sadda Vidda Palanga Pathira.’

Folklore records the use of frogs to illustrate a point – such as saying that someone is ‘a frog in a well’ to imply that his or her vision or knowledge is limited.

There are 102 extant species recorded as well as 18 extinct ones. This list is useful since it includes the scientific and common names, historical aspects, identifying features, habits, habitats, distribution and taxonomic status. The common names of species are given in both English and Sinhala.

The colour photographs help readers visualise what certain species of frogs look like; and in some instances, the photos are magnified to draw attention to distinct features that are being described.

Dorsal and ventral aspects are also shown for identification. More detailed photos in some cases would have been helpful. For example, there’s no photograph to illustrate the appellation of the fork-tongued frogs of the family Dicrog­lossidae.

There are frogs of the genus Pseudophilautus that don’t have a tadpole stage but display the phenomenon of direct develop­ment whereby larval growth occurs in the eggs so that hatchlings resemble miniature adults.

Some species have been identified with specific Sri Lankan names and Puran Ap­pu’s shrub frog in particular intrigued me. However, the authors haven’t explained why it was given that name.

William Shakespeare made a reference to frogs famous with his witches’ brew in Macbeth. ‘Eye of newt and toe of frog…’ – it’s a well-known line that appears in the Bard’s play.