Nasutixalus

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Nasutixalus
Nasutixalus jerdonii (adult male).jpg
Nasutixalus jerdonii
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Rhacophoridae
Subfamily: Rhacophorinae
Genus: Nasutixalus
Jiang, Yan, Wang, and Che, 2016 [1]
Type species
Nasutixalus medogensis
Jiang, Yan, Wang, and Che, 2016
Synonyms [2]
  • Frankixalus Biju, Senevirathne, Garg, Mahony, Kamei, Thomas, Shouche, Raxworthy, Meegaskumbura, and Van Bocxlaer, 2016 [3]

Nasutixalus is a genus of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. [2] [4] The genus is found in northeastern India and adjacent southeastern Tibet [2] as well as western Yunnan (China); [5] the range might extend into the adjacent Nepal [2] and Myanmar. [5] Common name ridged-nose treefrogs has been coined for this genus. [1]

Contents

Etymology

The name Nasutixalus is derived from the Latin nasutus meaning "large-nosed", and ixalus, which is a generic stem for treefrogs. [1]

Taxonomy

Nasutixalus was erected in 2016 to accommodate Nasutixalus medogensis . The species was described based on a single specimen. Molecular data suggested that this specimen represented a distinct lineage with the family Rhacophoridae, warranting recognition as a new genus. [1] In a study published only two days later, Sathyabhama Das Biju and colleagues erected a new monotypic genus Frankixalus for Polypedates jerdonii; the name of the genus honours Franky Bossuyt  [ fr ] from the Free University of Brussels. [3] Because of the earlier publication date, priority is given to Nasutixalus, rendering Frankixalus synonymous. [2] [6]

A specimen first identified as Theloderma moloch was genetically distinct from other Theloderma and made the genus paraphyletic. [7] Later analysis showed that Theloderma moloch collected near its type locality indeed cluster with other Theloderma, whereas the anomalous specimen belongs to the same lineage as Nasutixalus jerdonii [3] and is now described as Nasutixalus medogensis. [1]

Species

There are three species: [2] [4]

Description

Nasutixalus are cryptic, [5] medium-sized frogs: adult males measure 37–45 mm (1.5–1.8 in) and adult females 47–48 mm (1.9–1.9 in) in snout–vent length. [3] [5] Fingers have rudimentary webbing whereas the toes are moderately webbed. [1] [3] [5]

Habitat and reproduction

Tadpoles Nasutixalus jerdonii with ingested eggs Nasutixalus jerdonii (tadpoles).jpg
Tadpoles Nasutixalus jerdonii with ingested eggs

Nasutixalus are arboreal and live in montane evergreen forests. [5] Male Nasutixalus jerdonii and N. yingjiangensis call from tree holes. [3] [5] Eggs of N. jerdonii have been found in water-filled tree holes, adhering on the inner walls slightly above the water surface. Tadpoles were found in water and had eggs in their stomachs, i.e., they are oophagous. Oophagy is considered an adaptation in phytotelm-breeding frogs for a nutrient-deficient environment. Whether the observed eggs were conspecific is not known, although circumstantial evidence suggests so. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhacophoridae</span> Family of amphibians

The Rhacophoridae are a family of frogs that occur in tropical sub-Saharan Africa, South India and Sri Lanka, Japan, northeastern India to eastern China and Taiwan, south through the Philippines and Greater Sundas, and Sulawesi. They are commonly known as shrub frogs, or more ambiguously as "moss frogs" or "bush frogs". Some Rhacophoridae are called "tree frogs". Among the most spectacular members of this family are numerous "flying frogs".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhacophorinae</span> Subfamily of amphibians

The Rhacophorinae are a subfamily of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. They range from tropical Africa and Asia to temperate China and Japan.

<i>Theloderma</i> Genus of amphibians

Theloderma, the bug-eyed frogs, mossy frogs or warty frogs, is a genus of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae, subfamily Rhacophorinae. They are found from northeastern India and southern China, through Southeast Asia, to the Greater Sunda Islands; the highest species richness is in Indochina. Some species, especially T. corticale, are sometimes kept in captivity.

<i>Rhacophorus</i> Genus of amphibians

Rhacophorus is a genus of frogs in the shrub frog family (Rhacophoridae) and the related Hylidae make up the true tree frogs. They are found in India, Japan, Madagascar, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Over 40 species are currently recognised.

<i>Polypedates</i> Genus of amphibians

Polypedates is a genus of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae, the shrub frogs and Paleotropic tree frogs. They belong to subfamily Rhacophorinae. Members of this genus are collectively known as whipping frogs. They occur in eastern and southern Asia.

<i>Amolops</i> Genus of amphibians

Amolops is a genus of true frogs native mainly to eastern and south-eastern Asia. These frogs are closely related to such genera as Huia, Meristogenys, Odorrana, Pelophylax and Rana, but still form a distinct lineage among the core radiation of true frogs. They are commonly known as "torrent frogs" after their favorite habitat - small rapid-flowing mountain and hill streams - but this name is used for many similar-looking frogs regardless of whether they are loosely related.

<i>Microhyla</i> Genus of amphibians

Microhyla, commonly known as the rice frogs or narrow-mouthed frogs, is a genus of frogs in the family Microhylidae. It consists of 42 species of diminutive frogs. Members of this genus are widespread from Ryukyu Is. in Japan, and throughout South-east Asia,.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malabar gliding frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Malabar gliding frog or Malabar flying frog is a rhacophorid tree frog species found in the Western Ghats of India.

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

Nasutixalus jerdonii is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is found in the northeastern India, in the West Bengal, Nagaland, Manipur, and Meghalaya states. It range might extend into the adjacent Nepal. The specific name jerdonii honours Thomas C. Jerdon, an English herpetologist. Common names Jerdon's bubble-nest frog, Jerdon's tree frog, and Jerdon's bush frog have been coined for this species.

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

Raorchestes ochlandrae is a species of shrub frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats, India. This species of the oriental shrub frog was first described from Kakkayam Reserve Forest of Calicut district, Kerala state, in the southern Western Ghats in 2007 but has since been recorded at many other sites along the Western Ghats. The specific name ochlandrae refers to microhabitat of the species, bamboo Ochlandra setigera.

<i>Vampyrius</i> Species of amphibian

Rhacophorus vampyrus is a medium-sized species of flying frogs endemic to Vietnam. It is found in Southern Vietnam, and is not known to be found in other places globally. It Is in the kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, and class Amphibia. Along with this, it is in the order Anura, family Rhacophoridae, and it is the only member of the genus Vampyrus. It is also known as the vampire tree frog or the vampire flying frog because of the presence of a pair of fang-like hooks in the mouth of the tadpoles. Its Vietnamese name is Ếch cây ma cà rồng.

<i>Gracixalus</i> Genus of amphibians

Gracixalus is a genus of shrub frogs from south-eastern Asia.

Gracixalus medogensis, also known as the Medog bubble-nest frog or Medog small treefrog, is a species of shrub frog, family Rhacophoridae. As currently known, it is endemic to the Mêdog County in southern Tibet, although its distribution might extend into the adjacent Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India.

<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.

<i>Mercurana</i> Genus of amphibians

Mercurana is a genus of arboreal frogs belonging to the family Rhacophoridae. The genus was named from the only known species Mercurana myristicapalustris, which was described in 2013 from the Western Ghats of Kerala, India. The generic name was derived from and given as a tribute to Freddie Mercury, the late vocalist of the British rock band Queen, in combination with the Latin name for "frog". The frog is different from other related frogs in that it has extensively webbed toes, lives only in swampy lowlands, and lays its eggs on mud with which it carefully mixes leaf litter.

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

Raorchestes jayarami, also known as Jayaram's bush frog, is a species of frog from the subfamily rhacophoridae found in Valparai in the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu in India. Individuals of this species from the genus Raorchestes have morphs that range from plain green to variations with splotches and dots of darker greens and in some cases yellow. Anuran's from the genus Raorchestes, show direct-development while allows them to be independent from a waterbody for the development of tadpoles.

<i>Beddomixalus</i> Genus of amphibians

Beddomixalus is a monotypic genus of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. The only described species, Beddomixalus bijui, is endemic to the Western Ghats, India. Its name is derived from a combination of the cognomen of Richard Henry Beddome, in honour of his work on the amphibian diversity of the Western Ghats, as well as Ixalus, which is often used as a suffix for names of rhacophorid genera.

<i>Scutiger spinosus</i> Species of amphibian

Scutiger spinosus is a species of toad in the family Megophryidae. It is found in Medog County, Tibet (China) and in Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh (India). Prior to its description in 2016, it was confused with Scutiger nyingchiensis. Common name spiny lazy toad has been coined for it.

<i>Zhangixalus</i> Genus of amphibians

Zhangixalus is a genus of frogs in the subfamily Rhacophorinae, family Rhacophoridae. They are collectively known as Zhang's treefrogs. They occur in the Eastern Himalayas, southern China, Taiwan, Japan, and southeast Asia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jiang, Ke; Yan, Fang; Wang, Kai; Zou, Da-Hu; Li, Cheng & Che, Jing (2016-01-18). "A new genus and species of treefrog from Medog, southeastern Tibet, China (Anura, Rhacophoridae)". Zoological Research. 37 (1): 15–20. doi:10.13918/j.issn.2095-8137.2016.1.15. PMC   4834735 . PMID   26828030.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Nasutixalus Jiang, Yan, Wang, and Che, 2016". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Biju, S. D.; Senevirathne, Gayani; Garg, Sonali; Mahony, Stephen; Kamei, Rachunliu G.; Thomas, Ashish; Shouche, Yogesh; Raxworthy, Christopher J. & Meegaskumbura, Madhava (2016-01-20). "Frankixalus, a new rhacophorid genus of tree hole breeding frogs with oophagous tadpoles". PLOS ONE. 11 (1): e0145727. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1145727B. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145727 . PMC   4720377 . PMID   26790105.
  4. 1 2 "Rhacophoridae". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Yang, Jian-Huan & Chan, Bosco Pui-Lok (2018). "A new phytotelm-breeding treefrog of the genus Nasutixalus (Rhacophoridae) from western Yunnan of China". Zootaxa. 4388 (2): 191–206. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4388.2.3 . PMID   29690452.
  6. Sivongxay, N.; Davankham, M.; Phimmachak, S.; Phoumixay, K. & Stuart, B. L. (2016-08-05). "A new small-sized Theloderma (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from Laos". Zootaxa. 4147 (4): 433–442. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4147.4.5. PMID   27515627.
  7. Li, Jia-tang; Che, Jing; Murphy, Robert W.; Zhao, Hui; Zhao, Er-mi; Rao, Ding-qi & Zhang, Ya-ping (2009). "New insights to the molecular phylogenetics and generic assessment in the Rhacophoridae (Amphibia: Anura) based on five nuclear and three mitochondrial genes, with comments on the evolution of reproduction". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 53 (2): 509–522. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.06.023. PMID   19616637.