Diversity of Species and Habitat Selection of Amphibian Fauna in Samastipur District, Bihar

The current study aimed to document amphibian diversity and their habitat preferences over one year.The survey was carried out from January 2024 to December 2024 across three distinct study sites in the Samastipur district of Bihar.A total of nine amphibian species, classified into four families and seven genera, were identified at various locations, namely Magardahi Ghat, Mathurapur Ghat, and Simariya Ganga Ghat area within the Samastipur district.All nine species were recorded in and around the Magardahi Ghat (Site I).In comparison, seven species were noted in the vicinity of Mathurapur Ghat (Site-II), and five species were observed in the Simariya Ganga Ghat (Site-III) area.Four species (D. melanostictus, D. stomaticus, H. tigerinus, and P. maculatus) were present at all study sites, whereas two species (S. braviceps and F. limnocharis) were exclusive to Site I.The statistical analysis of the amphibian diversity data indicated that the Shannon-Wiener species diversity index was lowest, 1.547, at Site III and highest, 2.090, at Site I.The Margalef richness index showed a minimum value of 0.8836 and a maximum of 1.555 at Site I. Conversely, the evenness index was highest (0.9474) at Site III and lowest (0.9105) at Site I.