GENOTOXIC EFFECTS OF CARBARYL ON INDIAN CRICKET FROG LIMNONECTES LIMNOCHARIS OF WESTERN GHATS

Abstract

Tracing many reasons, pesticidal cause is gaining momentum for the decline of amphibian popula- tion. As there are no reports on the effects of pesticides on amphibian fauna of Western Ghats, carbaryl a carbamate pesticide was used to test their genotoxic effect on L. limnocharis. The pilot toxicity studies have revealed that the LD50 was estimated to be 125mg/kg b. wt. at 96 h by an intraperitoneal injection. The median lethal and sub lethal doses 125, 93.75, 62.50 and 31.25 mg/ kg body weight equivalent to LD50 and 3/4th, 1/2nd, 1/4th of the LD50 were employed to treat the animals for further studies. Protocols such as chromosomal aberrations micronucleus test and sperm morphology assay were used to evaluate the genotoxicity. The frequency of chromosomal aberrations are not significant even at higher doses, micronucleus and sperm abnormalities were significantly more in higher doses of pesticide exposure during 72 and 96 h treated groups com- pared to controls.