New Delhi: A Delhi University (DU) reader will receive the $25,000 Sabin Award instituted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for his studies and research in amphibian conservation.

A few years back, S.D. Biju, from Delhi University (DU), discovered the smallest Indian frog which was smaller than a five rupee coin.

Biju will be presented the award on September 17, 2008 in New York.

"It is an exciting moment for me and an apt recognition of my research. I will use a part of the money for frog research in the country" said Mr. Biju.

Biju further said, "Our frog population is fast depleting due to man-made activities and climate changes, but we still do not have qualitative data on the kind of effect, climate change is having on the frogs of India".

More than 100 species of frogs have been discovered by Biju during his study in the last 15 years.

The smallest Indian frog, named 'Nyctibatrachus Minimus' was discovered by him in 2007 in the Western Ghats of Kerala. The frog was just 10 mm long.

"India has about 286 species of frogs, 80-90 pc of which are not found anywhere in the world" added Biju.

The Indian Purple frog (family Nasika batrachidae), a new family of Indian frog was discovered by Biju in 2003, which he says, "according to experts is a once in a century found."