Raorchestes

Raorchestes
Raorchestes signatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Rhacophoridae
Subfamily: Rhacophorinae
Genus: Raorchestes
Biju, Shouche, Dubois, Dutta, and Bossuyt, 2010[1]
Type species
Ixalus glandulosus
Jerdon, 1854
Diversity
50 species (see text)
Raorchestes flaviocularis in India

Raorchestes is a genus of frogs in the Rhacophorinae subfamily. These frogs can be found in South and Southeast Asia, from southern India to Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos to southern China and Vietnam and West Malaysia.[2] They are particularly diverse in the Western Ghats of India.[1] Before the description of the genus in 2010, species now in Raorchestes had been assigned to genera Ixalus (no longer recognized), Philautus, and Pseudophilautus.[2] The genus is named in honour of C. R. Narayan Rao in recognition of his contribution to Indian batrachology. The scientific nomen Orchestes is based on the first generic nomen coined for frogs of the Philautus group, Orchestes Tschudi 1838.[1]

Description

Male Raorchestes luteolus, with its eminent vocal sac
Raorchestes echinatus in India

Raorchestes are largely nocturnal, relatively small frogs with adult body size 15–45 mm (0.59–1.77 in) in snout-vent length. They lack vomerine teeth. Males have a large transparent vocal sac while calling. All Raorchestes where development is known have direct development, that is, their life cycle does not involve a free-swimming tadpole stage.[1] Their sister taxon is Pseudophilautus.[1][2]

Conservation

IUCN has assessed 38 species of Raorchestes. Many species are Critically Endangered, and one species (Raorchestes travancoricus) was already considered extinct,[3] only to be rediscovered in 2004.[4][5] The Amphibian Specialist Group's list of "lost frogs" (frogs not seen for decades) includes 10 Raorchestes species.[6]

Species

Many new species from India have been described in recent years.[7][8] As of early 2016, the genus contained 60 species:.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Biju, S. D.; Yogesh Shouche; Alain Dubois; S. K. Dutta; Franky Bossuyt (2010). "A ground-dwelling rhacophorid frog from the highest mountain peak of the Western Ghats of India" (PDF). Current Science. 98 (8): 1119–1125.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Raorchestes Biju, Shouche, Dubois, Dutta, and Bossuyt, 2010". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  3. ↑ IUCN (2014). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>". Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  4. ↑ University of Delhi (February 3, 2009). "Dozen New Tree Frogs Discovered In Rapidly Vanishing Habitat In India". ScienceDaily.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ Amphibian Specialist Group (2013). "Lost frogs". Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  7. ↑ Manoj, E. M. (August 7, 2011). "New species of frogs found in Western Ghats". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  8. ↑ "26 new species of frogs and insects discovered in India". Hindustan Times. June 15, 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
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