Raorchestes ponmudi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Rhacophoridae
Genus: Raorchestes
Species:
R. ponmudi
Binomial name
Raorchestes ponmudi
(Biju & Bossuyt, 2005)
Synonyms

Philautus ponmudi Biju & Bossuyt, 2005

Raorchestes ponmudi is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats, India.[2][3]

Appearance

It is a large species within the genus, with males measuring nearly 4 cm long from the tip of the snout to the vent. Unusually for frogs, the male is larger than the female. These frogs are larger than any other frog or toad in their habitat.[4]

Each frog has two stripes reaching from the eye to the vent. The stripes cross each other, forming an X on the back. There is a light brown intraorbital mark. The skin of the ventrum is gray-yellow in color with some white and black. The hind legs are light brown with gray marks. The iris of the eye is gold-bronw in color with a gray circle. There is some green color on the front legs.[3]

Like other frogs in the genus, it undergoes direct development. The tadpoles develop into tiny frogs within the egg, with no free-swimming tadpole stage.[3]

Habitat

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, which are threatened habitats. It was first described from Ponmudi hill, for which it is named, but the species was later found to have a wider distribution within the southern Western Ghats. It has been found about 1000 meters above sea level. It has been recorded in Wynaad, Idukki, and Thiruvananthapuram districts in Kerala, and Valparai in Tamil Nadu.[4][2] It has been observed perched on branches 8-15 meters off the ground, high in the forest canopy.[3]

References

  1. ↑ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2022). "Raorchestes ponmudi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T58916A166108423. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. "Raorchestes ponmudi (Biju and Bossuyt, 2005)". Amphibian Species of the World, an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Jan Bettgenhaeuser; Travis Kirk; Megan Blandford (7 November 2008). Mingna (Vicky) Zhuang; Michelle S. Koo (eds.). "Raorchestes ponmudi (Biju and Bossuyt, 2005)". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  4. 1 2 Biju, SD; Bossuyt, F (2005). "New species of Philautus (Anura:Ranidae:Rhacophorinae) from Ponmudi Hill in the Western Ghats of India". Journal of Herpetology. 39 (3): 349–353. doi:10.1670/133-04a.1. S2CID 54501060.
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