Pseudophilautus zal

Last updated

Pseudophilautus zal
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Rhacophoridae
Genus: Pseudophilautus
Species:
P. zal
Binomial name
Pseudophilautus zal
(Manamendra-Arachchi and Pethiyagoda, 2005)
Synonyms [2]

Philautus zalManamendra-Arachchi and Pethiyagoda, 2005

Contents

Pseudophilautus zal, commonly known as the white blotched shrub frog, [3] is an extinct species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka. [1] [2] [4] [5] It is only known from the type series consisting of three old museum specimens. [1] [4]

Etymology

The specific name zal is a Polish word that, according to Arthur Rubinstein, refers to "sadness, nostalgia, regret, burning hurt, and yet something else". This name was chosen by the authors of the species to express their "sadness and frustration at the loss of this and so many other endemic amphibians in Sri Lanka". [4]

Description

The type series consists of three adult males measuring 25.0–25.4 mm (0.98–1.00 in) in snout–vent length. The body is stout. The snout is bluntly angled dorsally and rounded in profile. The tympanum is visible and the supratympanic fold is prominent. The canthal edges are sharp. Skin is shagreened to granular. The fingers have dermal fringes whereas the toes are medially webbed. The upper parts of the alcohol-preserved specimens are light brown with dark-brown blotches and about five white spots. The underside is pale yellow. [4]

The holotype was originally identified as Ixalus minutus, an unpublished name. One of the paratypes is a former syntype of Pseudophilautus variabilis , and the other was a syntype of Pseudophilautus microtympanum . [4]

Distribution and conservation

The types are only known to have been collected from "Ceylon", a rather general location. All were identified as different species, suggesting that Pseudophilautus zal might have had a wide distribution. No other specimens are known, despite extensive field surveys in more recent times. [1] [4] The habitat requirements of this species are unknown. The reasons for its demise are also unknown, but probably involved habitat loss. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Pseudophilautus abundus</i> Species of frog

Pseudophilautus abundus is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.

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

Pseudophilautus asankai, commonly called Asanka's shrub frog, is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae.

<i>Pseudophilautus auratus</i> Species of frog

Pseudophilautus auratus, commonly called golden shrub frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae, endemic to Sri Lanka, where it lives in closed-canopy cloud forests between 513 and 1270 meters above sea level, including the Sinharaja World Heritage Site and Kanneliya Forest.

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

Pseudophilautus caeruleus, commonly called blue thigh shrub frog, is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.

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

Pseudophilautus cuspis, commonly known as sharp-snouted shrub frog, is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka. It has been observed between 155 and 660 meters above sea level.

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

Pseudophilautus decoris, commonly known as the elegant shrub frog, is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.

Pseudophilautus dimbullae is an extinct species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka. It is only known from the holotype collected in 1933.

Pseudophilautus eximius is an extinct species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka. It is only known from the holotype collected in 1933.

Pseudophilautus extirpo, known as blunt-snouted shrub frog, is an extinct species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka. It is only known from the holotype collected in 1882. The specific name extirpo is Latin meaning "destroy" or "eradicate" and refers to the apparent extinction of this species.

Pseudophilautus folicola, known as leaf-dwelling shrub frog, is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae.

Pseudophilautus halyi, known as pattipola shrub frog, is an extinct species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka. It is only known from the holotype collected in 1899. The specific name halyi honours Amyrald Haly, the first director of the Ceylon Museum, author of the "Natural History of Ceylon", and the collector of the holotype.

Pseudophilautus leucorhinus, also known as white-nosed shrub frog, pointed-nosed shrub frog, whitenose bubble-nest frog, and Marten's bush frog, was a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka. It is only known from the holotype that was collected some time before 1856 from the indefinite type locality "Ceylon". Pseudophilautus wynaadensis from southwestern India has been considered conspecific with this species, but these species are now considered distinct.

Pseudophilautus limbus, also known as Haycock shrub frog, is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to southwestern Sri Lanka, including its type locality, Haycock Hill (Hiniduma) Forest Reserve. The specific name limbus, from the Latin for "edge" or "border", refers to the species originally having been known only from the border of the Haycock Hill Forest Reserve.

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

Pseudophilautus sordidus, commonly known as the grubby shrub frog is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae.

<i>Pseudophilautus variabilis</i> Extinct species of amphibian

Pseudophilautus variabilis, also known as the variable bush frog or variable bubble-nest frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. This now extinct species was endemic to Sri Lanka. Despite extensive searches in recent times, it is only known from collections prior to 1858. The reasons for its disappearance are unknown but probably involve habitat loss.

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

Pseudophilautus viridis, or the dull-green shrub frog, is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka and occurs in the central hills of south-central Sri Lanka.

Pseudophilautus zimmeri is an extinct species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka, where it was recorded from the vicinity of Galle. It is only known from the holotype that was used to describe the species in 1927. The specific name zimmeri honours Carl Wilhelm Erich Zimmer, a German zoologist. Common name Rumassala shrub frog has been coined for it.

Pseudophilautus pardus is an extinct species of Sri Lankan shrub frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. Despite extensive surveys in recent years, the species is known only from a collection made prior to 1858. The reason for its extinction is unknown but probably relates loss of forests.

<i>Pseudophilautus</i> Genus of amphibians

Pseudophilautus is a genus of shrub frogs in the family Rhacophoridae endemic to the Western Ghats of southwestern India and to Sri Lanka where the majority of the species are found. Many of them are already extinct. On the other, some species believed to be extinct have also been rediscovered.

Pseudophilautus simba is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae endemic to Sri Lanka. It is only known from its type locality in the Morningside Forest Reserve, adjacent to the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, near Rakwana, southern Sri Lanka.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Pseudophilautus zal". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T58938A156586194. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T58938A156586194.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Pseudophilautus zal (Manamendra-Arachchi and Pethiyagoda, 2005)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  3. "27 new Pseudophilautus (firstly: Philautus) • Sri Lankan Shrub Frogs (Rhacophorinae)". Novataxa. July 2011. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Manamendra-Arachchi, Kelum & Pethiyagoda, Rohan (2005). "The Sri Lankan shrub-frogs of the genus Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Ranidae: Rhacophorinae), with description of 27 new species" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. Suppl. 12: 163–303. (Philautus zal: p. 231–232)
  5. Krystal Gong (March 30, 2009). Kellie Whittaker; Michelle S. Koo (eds.). "Pseudophilautus zal (Manamendra-Arachchi and Pethiyagoda, 2005)". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved November 18, 2023.