Ghatixalus variabilis

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Ghatixalus variabilis
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Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Rhacophoridae
Genus: Ghatixalus
Species:
G. variabilis
Binomial name
Ghatixalus variabilis
(Jerdon, 1854)
Synonyms

Polypedates variabilisJerdon, 1854
Rhacophorus variabilis(Jerdon, 1854)
Polypedates pleurostictusGünther, 1864
Rhacophorus parkeriAhl, 1927

Contents

Ghatixalus variabilis is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of southern India. [2] It has a number of common names, including green tree frog, [2] though it is terrestrial rather than arboreal in its life style. [3]

Description

Male Ghatixalus variabilis grow to a snout-vent length of 41–51 mm (1.6–2.0 in) and females to about 67 mm (2.6 in). Males have nuptial spines. The colour is variable, even within a single location. The dorsum has a colour pattern characterized by prominent dark brown blotches. [3]

Ghatixalus variabilis build spherical foams nests that are suspended up to 3 m (9.8 ft) above the water. Tadpoles hatch within the foam and drop to the water after a few days. [3]

Illustration of Polypedates pleurostictus from Albert Gunther's The Reptiles of British India where it was described as a new species in 1864. A study published in 2001 considered it to be synonym of Ghatixalus variabilis, although another study published the same year doubted this. At present, it is treated as a synonym of G. variabilis. Ghatixalus variabilis - Gunther.jpg
Illustration of Polypedates pleurostictus from Albert Günther's The Reptiles of British India where it was described as a new species in 1864. A study published in 2001 considered it to be synonym of Ghatixalus variabilis, although another study published the same year doubted this. At present, it is treated as a synonym of G. variabilis.

Habitat and distribution

Ghatixalus variabilis is only known from the Nilgiri hills (a part of the Western Ghats), Tamil Nadu, India. They are found in evergreen montane forest patches at high altitudes. They are only found very near mountain streams, either on ground or low in the vegetation. When disturbed they escape to the water. [1] [3]

Their habitat is threatened by fragmentation due to agricultural and logging activities as well as rural and/or urban development. [1]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Nasutixalus jerdonii</i> Species of amphibian

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<i>Raorchestes luteolus</i> Species of amphibian

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<i>Raorchestes ponmudi</i> Species of frog

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

<i>Raorchestes tinniens</i> Species of frog

Raorchestes tinniens, also known as the spotted bush frog, black bush frog, and Rao's bubble-nest frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills, a part of the Western Ghats, in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, southern India. It has a rather complicated taxonomic history, and there is still an open issue whether Ixalus montanusGünther, 1876 from Kudremukh (Karnataka), now in synonymy with Raorchestes tinniens, is indeed a valid species.

<i>Raorchestes travancoricus</i> Species of frog

Raorchestes travancoricus, variously known as the Travancore bushfrog, Travancore bubble-nest frog, or Travancore tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. The species is endemic to the southern Western Ghats, India. Its specific name, travancoricus, as well as its three common names, refer to its type locality, Bodinayakkanur in the former Travancore state.

<i>Pseudophilautus wynaadensis</i> Species of amphibian

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<i>Rhacophorus calcadensis</i> Species of amphibian

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<i>Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus</i> Species of amphibian

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<i>Raorchestes resplendens</i> Species of amphibian

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<i>Raorchestes</i> Genus of amphibians

Raorchestes is a genus of frogs in the subfamily Rhacophorinae that are found in mountainous regions of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and southern China. A recent study places Raorchestes as a sister taxon of Pseudophilautus. Before the description of the genus in 2010, species now in Raorchestes had been assigned to genera Ixalus, Philautus, and Pseudophilautus.

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<i>Ghatixalus</i> Genus of amphibians

Ghatixalus is a genus of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae, subfamily Rhacophorinae. They are endemic to the Western Ghats of southern India. They are the sister taxon to a larger clade consisting of Chiromantis, Feihyla, Taruga, Polypedates, and Rhacophorus. The name of the genus combines words "Ghats" and "Ixalus". The former refers to the Western Ghats, and the latter to now-abandoned genus name that lives as the suffix in many generic names for rhacophorid frogs.

<i>Raorchestes kaikatti</i> Species of amphibian

Raorchestes kaikatti, sometimes known as the Kaikatti bushfrog or Kaikatt's bush frog, is a critically endangered frogs found only in the Nelliampathi Hills within the Western Ghats of Kerala, India. The species is named after Kaikatti, its type locality.

<i>Raorchestes marki</i> Species of amphibian

The Mark's bushfrog is a critically endangered frog found only in the Nelliampathi Hills within the Western Ghats of Kerala, India. The species is named after Mark Wilkinson of the Natural History Museum, London.

References

  1. 1 2 3 S.D. Biju, Sushil Dutta, Karthikeyan Vasudevan, Chelmala Srinivasulu, Ariadne Angulo (2010). "Ghatixalus variabilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T59027A11872030. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59027A11872030.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 3 Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Ghatixalus variabilis (Jerdon, 1854)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Biju, S.; Roelants, K.; Bossuyt, F. (2008). "Phylogenetic position of the montane treefrog Polypedates variabilis Jerdon, 1853 (Anura: Rhacophoridae), and description of a related species". Organisms Diversity & Evolution. 8 (4): 267–276. doi: 10.1016/j.ode.2007.11.004 .
  4. Günther, Albert C. L. G. (1864). The Reptiles of British India. Ray Society (Series) No. 35. London: R. Hardwicke.