| Indian burrowing frog | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Dicroglossidae |
| Genus: | Sphaerotheca |
| Species: | S. breviceps |
| Binomial name | |
| Sphaerotheca breviceps (Schneider, 1799) | |
| Synonyms | |
Tomopterna breviceps | |
The Indian burrowing frog (Sphaerotheca breviceps) is a species of frog found in South Asia (Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and in Myanmar). [2]
Its vomerine teeth form two oblique groups extending a little beyond the hind edge of the choanse. Its habit is stout. The head is short, with a rounded snout; the occiput is swollen, and the interorbital space is narrower than the upper eyelid. The tympanum is distinct, about two-thirds the diameter of the eye. The fingers are moderate and obtuse, with the first extending much beyond second, nearly as long as third; the toes are moderate, obtuse, and half-webbed; the subarticular tubercles are moderate, with the inner metatarsal tubercle being very large, sharp-edged, shovel-shaped, and longer than the inner toe; no outer tubercle or tarsal fold is present. The hind limbs are short, and the tibiotarsal articulation reaches the axilla or the tympanum. The skin above is smooth or granulate, with some scattered tubercles or short, interrupted longitudinal folds; a strong fold runs from the eye to the shoulder; the belly and lower surfaces of thighs are granulate. In color, it is light brown or olive above, with darker spots or marblings, often a light vertebral band, and sometimes another on the upper side of each flank; the throats of males are blackish, and those of females are usually brown-spotted. The male has two well-developed internal subgular vocal sacs. [3]
From snout to vent, it averages 2.5 inches.
It is found in the drier regions of India from the Punjab and Sind to southern India and Sri Lanka. In the Himalayas, it occurs up to about 7000 feet. The structure of the hind limbs enables this frog to burrow in the ground for about 1.5 feet.
The habitat ranges from dry, arid land to moist, deciduous forest. The microhabitat in which this frog is found includes leaf litter or under rocks, in crevices or in open spaces in arid areas.
Indosylvirana temporalis, commonly known as the bronzed frog or Günther's golden-backed frog, is a species of true frog found in the riparian evergreen forests of the highlands of southwestern Sri Lanka. They are found abundantly on or close to the ground near water. Individuals are not shy and react by jumping only when provoked. They are important prey of many species of snakes, including the vine snake. Some related species found in the Western Ghats of India were formerly included in this species but were separated in a 2014 study.
The bicolored frog or Malabar frog is a species of frog endemic to the Western Ghats of India. The tadpoles of the species are black and form dense and compact schools in slow moving streams in forested areas.
The fungoid frog or Malabar Hills frog is a colourful frog found on the forest floor and lower vegetation in the Western Ghats in south-western India from Bombay to Kerala. It is very similar to another species with which it overlaps partly in range, Hydrophylax bahuvistara which extends further into parts of central India. Although restricted in range within peninsular India, they are of least conservation concern. Their upper parts vary in colour from brownish-red to bright crimson.
Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis is a common dicroglossid frog found in South Asia. It is known under numerous common names, including Indian skipper frog or skittering frog. They are often seen at the edge of bodies of water with their eyes above the water. They noisily move away from the shore when disturbed, giving them their common name. They are rarely seen outside water.
Indirana beddomii, Beddome's leaping frog, Beddome's Indian frog, or simply Beddome's frog, is a species of frog found in the Western Ghats. They are usually detected by their long leaps as they flush from the ground when disturbed. The species is named after the naturalist Richard Henry Beddome.
Polypedates maculatus, the Indian tree frog, or Chunam tree frog, is a common species of tree frog found in South Asia. It was described by John Edward Gray in 1830.
Micrixalus fuscus is a species of small frog found in dense forested hill streams in the Western Ghats of India. M. herrei was formerly synonymized within this species.
Indirana semipalmata is a species of frog endemic to the Western Ghats region of southern India. They are small frogs, reaching lengths of about 36 mm (1.4 in) from snout to vent. The species breeds during the monsoons, laying their eggs on moist rocks and tree bark. Their tadpoles are terrestrial – hatching, feeding, and undergoing metamorphosis without ever entering any standing bodies of water.
Indirana leithii is a species of frog in the family Ranixalidae. It is endemic to the northern Western Ghats of India. As currently defined, its range is restricted to the states of Maharashtra and southern Gujarat; earlier records elsewhere refer to other species.
Euphlyctis hexadactylus, also known as the green pond frog, Indian green frog, and Indian five-fingered frog, is a common species of aquatic frog found in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The nominal taxon likely represents a species complex.
The Malabar tree toad, or warty Asian tree toad, is a species of toad found in forests along the Western Ghats of great Karnataka or Deccan. It is a small species and is found in wet tree hollows or leaf bases containing water. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Pedostibes, also known as Asian tree toads.
Minervarya keralensis is a species of frog from India. Originally described by Albert Günther in 1876, its present-day specific epithet, keralensis, meaning "of Kerala", was introduced as replacement name by Alain Dubois in 1981.
Walkerana leptodactyla is a species of frog endemic to the southern Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu states of southern India. Precise reports are from Anaimalai hills, Palni hills, Meghamalai, Travancore hills and Agasthyamalai. It is a terrestrial to semi-aquatic frog associated with the leaf-litter of high-elevation evergreen montane forest; it is not known from modified habitats. It is uncommon and believed to be declining in abundance.
Sphaerotheca dobsonii is a species of frog capable of burrowing. It is found in southern India.
Indosylvirana aurantiaca, commonly known as the golden frog, is a species of frog endemic to the Western Ghats of India. The species is also known as the Trivandrum frog, the common wood frog, or the small wood frog.
Pristimantis simonsii is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Peru and known from humid puna grassland in the northern part of the Cordillera Occidental in the Cajamarca Region, at elevations of 3,050–3,760 m (10,010–12,340 ft) asl. Its natural habitat is páramo or puna grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss caused by agricultural expansion. It was named for American scientific collector Perry O. Simons.
Nannophrys guentheri is an extinct species of frog in the family Dicroglossidae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka. The species was first identified in 1882 by George Boulenger and named after the German-born British zoologist Albert Günther. It is not known where in Sri Lanka the specimens were found.
Papurana attigua is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, the "true frogs". It is found in central and south Vietnam, eastern Cambodia, and southern Laos. The specific name attigua is derived from Latin attiguus meaning "neighbor". It refers to the similarity of this species to Indosylvirana milleti. The common name similar frog has been coined for this species.
Pseudophilautus singu is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae, endemic to southwestern Sri Lanka. It is known from the Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya, Kitulgala, and Kottawa Forest Reserves and from the Sinharaja World Heritage Site. The specific name singu is Sinhalese for "horn" and refers to the horn-like tubercles on the upper eyelids of this frog. Common name Sri Lanka short-horned shrub frog has been coined for it.
Indosylvirana indica, the Indian golden-backed frog, is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It was formerly considered as conspecific with Indosylvirana temporalis but was found to be a distinct species in a 2014 study.
