Charles Darwin's frog
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Dicroglossidae
Genus: Minervarya
Species:
M. charlesdarwini
Binomial name
Minervarya charlesdarwini
(Das, 1998)
Synonyms[2]

Rana charlesdarwini Das, 1998
Ingerana charlesdarwini Dinesh, Radhakrishnan, Gururaja, and Bhatta, 2009

Minervarya charlesdarwini (vernacular name: Charles Darwin's frog) is a species of frogs in the family Dicroglossidae. It is endemic to the Andaman Islands, India, and is known from the South Andaman Island, Long Island, and North Andaman Island.[2][3]

Taxonomy

Minervarya charlesdarwini was described in 1998 as Rana charlesdarwini by Indraneil Das, but was moved to the genus Ingerana in 2006. However, this taxonomic placement was always considered uncertain.[2][3] In 2022, a phylogenetic study found it to be a sister species to the Andaman frog (M. andamanensis), another endemic frog of the Andamans, and it was thus reclassified into the genus Minervarya.[4][5]

Following the description of this species, specimens labelled as Rana doriae andamanensis collected by Nelson Annandale were found from the Zoological Survey of India. However, Annandale never formally described a taxon using that name, so it is an unavailable name.[3]

Description

Adult males measure 25–29 mm (1.0–1.1 in) and adult females 29–38 mm (1.1–1.5 in) in snout–vent length. The snout is rounded and has a blunt tip. The tympanum is distinct and exposed; the supra-tympanic fold is well-developed and forms a thick, fleshy ridge. The fingers have no webbing whereas the toes are partially webbed. The finger and toe tips bear swollen discs, without circum-marginal grooves. Skin has minute granules scattered all over the dorsum; the venter is smooth. Colouration is variable with three different morphs:

  • The first morph is dull olive brown but has a bright orange butterfly-like marking on the dorsum behind the occiput, and a smaller spot of the same colour above the sacral region. Only very feeble black subocular spots are present, and the limbs lack barred pattern.
  • The second type is light tan and has very distinct black bars on the limbs. The dorsum has only a feeble W-like marking on the mid-dorsum and two indistinct orange spots. A mid-dorsal stripe might be present. Under moist conditions, the colour turns dark brown. Males have a dark gular vocal sac.
  • The third morph, which is similar to the holotype, is bright creamy white but with a dark brown patch on the dorsum as well as very thin, creamy white mid-dorsal stripe and two distinct, white subocular spots. Again, males have a dark gular vocal sac.[3]

Habitat and conservation

Minervarya charlesdarwini have been found in primary evergreen and secondary forests at elevations below 500 m (1,600 ft). The eggs are laid in water-filled tree holes.[1][3] It is threatened by habitat loss (clear-cutting). The type series was collected in the Mount Harriet National Park, and the species is also known from the Saddle Peak National Park.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Indraneil Das, Sushil Dutta, S.P. Vijayakumar (2004). "Ingerana charlesdarwini". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T58571A11805014. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T58571A11805014.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 3 Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Ingerana charlesdarwini (Das, 1998)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Chandramouli, S. R. (2017). "Rediscovery and redescription of a little known, insular endemic frog, Ingerana charlesdarwini (Das, 1998) (Amphibia: Anura: Dicroglossidae) from the Andaman Islands, Bay of Bengal". Alytes. 33 (1–4): 47–54.
  4. ↑ "Minervarya charlesdarwini (Das, 1998) | Amphibian Species of the World". amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  5. ↑ Garg, Sonali; Chandrakasan, Sivaperuman; Gokulakrishnan, G.; Gopika, C.; Das, Indraneil; Biju, S. D. (2022-10-05). "The curious case of Charles Darwin's frog, Rana charlesdarwini Das, 1998: Phylogenetic position and generic placement, with taxonomic insights on other minervaryan frogs (Dicroglossidae: Minervarya) in the Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago". Vertebrate Zoology. 72: 169–199. doi:10.3897/vz.72.e79496. ISSN 2625-8498.
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