Clinotarsus alticola

"Hill frog" redirects here. For other uses, see Hill frog (disambiguation).

"Annandale's frog" and "High-altitude frog" redirect here. For other uses, see Annandale's frog (disambiguation) and High-altitude frog (disambiguation).

Clinotarsus alticola
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Ranidae
Genus:	Clinotarsus
Species:	C. alticola
Binomial name
Clinotarsus alticola (Boulenger, 1882)
Synonyms
Hylorana pipiensJerdon, 1870 Rana alticolaBoulenger, 1882 Nasirana alticola(Boulenger, 1882) Clinotarsus alticolus(misspelling)

Clinotarsus alticola ^{[2] [3]} is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. Common names for this species include: Assam Hills frog, Annandale's frog, pointed-headed frog, palebrown stream frog, hill frog, point-nosed frog, and high-altitude frog. It is found in Hills of Meghalaya and northeastern India (Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and West Bengal) to northern Bangladesh, possibly into Bhutan and Nepal. ^[4]

Habitat

Clinotarsus alticola inhabit evergreen forests near large streams (the habitat for their tadpoles) in hill areas, usually near waterfalls. ^[1]

Description

Clinotarsus alticola are sexually dimorphic: males are 32–47 mm (1.3–1.9 in) in snout–vent length and females 43–61 mm (1.7–2.4 in). The advertisement call of males is a bird-like "chirp". In breeding sites, males greatly outnumber females and attempt to dislodge one another from the backs of females. Outside the breeding season adult Clinotarsus alticola are rarely encountered. ^[5]

Tadpoles—notice the caudal ocellus—and newly metamorphosed juvenile

The tadpoles of Clinotarsus alticola are distinctive: they are large (up to 98 mm (3.9 in) in length), have many glands, and are black in colouration with red ocelli. The caudal ocellus is a unique feature among ranid tadpoles. Its colouration may be aposematic. ^[6]

References

1. Peter Paul van Dijk, Annemarie Ohler, Sushil Dutta, Sabitry Bordoloi, Sohrab Uddin Sarker, Mohini Mohan Borah (2004). "Clinotarsus alticola". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2004 e.T58540A11798892. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T58540A11798892.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
2. "Catalogue of Life" . Retrieved March 27, 2012.
3. "Encyclopedia of Life" . Retrieved March 27, 2012.
4. "Clinotarsus alticola (Boulenger, 1882)".
5. Sailo, S. (2010). Studies on the ecology and biology of Rana alticola Boulenger (PhD thesis). Shillong: North-Eastern Hill University. p. 196. hdl:10603/5523.
6. Grosjean, S; M Perez; A Ohler (2003). "Morphology and buccopharyngeal anatomy of the tadpole of Rana (Nasirana) alticola (Anura: Ranidae)" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 51 (1): 101–107.