| Indian Skipper Frog | |
|---|---|
| A female Indian Skipper Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Ranidae |
| Genus: | Euphlyctis |
| Species: | E. cyanophlyctis |
| Binomial name | |
| Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis (Schneider, 1799) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Rana cyanophlyctis |
|
The Indian Skipper Frog or Skittering Frog (Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis) is a common frog found in South Asia. They are slimy and are often seen at the edge of bodies of water with their eyes above the water. They noisily move away from the shore when disturbed, giving them their common name. They are rarely seen outside water.
Contents |
Description from Boulenger is as follows: Vomerine teeth in two small oblique series extending a little beyond the hinder edge of the choanae. Head moderate; snout scarcely pointed; canthus rostralis indistinct; interorbital space much narrower than the upper eyelid; tympanum distinct, about two thirds the size of the eye. Fingers slender, pointed, first not extending beyond second; toes webbed to the tips, which are pointed, fourth not much longer than third or fifth; outer toe strongly fringed; subarticular tubercles small; inner metatarsal tubercle small, conical, much like a rudimentary toe. The tibio-tarsal articulation usually reaches a little beyond the eye. Skin with small tubercles and units above, and with more or less distinct rows of pores. Brown or olive above, dark spotted or marbled; two blackish streaks on the hinder side of the thighs, seldom absent; beneath often speckled with blackish. Male with two external vocal vesicles, opening by two slits beneath the angles of the mouth.[1]
They have the ability to leap out of the water from a floating position.[2] Cross section of the phalange bones shows annual growth rings which may be used for determining age.[3]
The species is widely distributed from Arabia to South Asia and South-east Asia.
The microhabitat in which this frog is found is pools of stagnant water.