Raorchestes chalazodes

Raorchestes chalazodes
Adult male frog endemic to the Western Ghats of India
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Rhacophoridae
Genus: Raorchestes
Species: R. chalazodes
Binomial name
Raorchestes chalazodes
(Günther, 1876)
Synonyms

Philautus chalazodes (Günther, 1876)

Raorchestes chalazodes (chalazodes bubble-nest frog, white-spotted bush frog, or Günther's bush frog) is a species of frog in the Rhacophoridae family. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.[1][2] The specific name chalazodes is composed of the Greek word chalaza meaning grain and odes for the derived adjective, reflecting white granulation of the body.[3] Using 'chalazodes' in the common name, as if it were a proper noun, is probably a misinterpretation.

Original description and rediscovery

Albert C. L. G. Günther described Raorchestes chalazodes (as Ixalus chalazodes) based on a single female collected by Colonel Richard Henry Beddome from 'Travancore'.[4] There were no verifiable reports of this species,[3] until its rediscovery in 2011 by a team of batrachologists in the Upper Kodayar Region in Tamil Nadu. This secretive frog is found in the wet evergreen forests in and around Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. Males squeeze through small cracks in bamboo from where they attract females which spawn within the hollows of the plant. The male then guards the eggs and tadpoles until they are mature enough to leave.[5][6]

Raorchestes chalazodes in Günther's original description, presumably the holotype.

Description

The original holotype, a female, was 28 mm (1.1 in) in snout-vent length.[3] In life, overall body coloration of Raorchestes chalazodes is green. Ventral region is purplish white and there are dark black-blue spots on the groin region. A unique distinctive trait is its black iris with golden patches.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 Biju, S.D.; Dutta, S.; Vasudevan, K.; Vijayakumar, S.P. & Srinivasulu, C. (2004). "Raorchestes chalazodes". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  2. ↑ Frost, Darrel R. (2013). "Raorchestes chalazodes (Günther, 1876)". Amphibian Species of the World 5.6, an Online Reference. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Biju, S. D.; Bossuyt, F. (2009). "Systematics and phylogeny of Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Anura, Rhacophoridae) in the Western Ghats of India, with descriptions of 12 new species". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 155 (2): 374–444. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00466.x.
  4. ↑ Günther, A. C. L. G. (1876). "Third report on collections of Indian reptiles obtained by the British Museum". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1875: 567–577.
  5. ↑ http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141029-rare-frog-breeds-inside-bamboo
  6. 1 2 "Chalazodes bubble-nest frog: Raorchestes chalazodes". Lost Amphibians of India. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
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