Roarchestes keirasabinae, or Keira's shrub frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to India. Scientists have observed it in many places within the Western Ghat mountains, all between 100 and 1,000 meters above sea level.[2][3][1]
This frog has been observed in forests, including a few secondary forests, high in the canopy. Scientists believe this frog breeds through direct development like other frogs in Raorchestes.[1]
Scientists classify this frog as vulnerable to extinction because, even though it its range is large, it is also heavily fragmented from agriculture.[1]
Taxonomy
Raorchestes keirasabinae was described in 2021 by the herpetologist Sonali Garg and her colleagues based on an adult male specimen collected in Chathankod-Makki, Thiruvananthapuram district in the Indian state of Kerala. The species is named after Keira Sabin, to honour the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation support for amphibian research and conservation.[4]
Raorchestes keirasabinae is a member of the Raorchestes nerostagona group within its genus and is most closely related to R. nerostagona.[4]
Description
Raorchestes keirasabinae is a medium-sized species, with a male snout–vent length of 29–31 mm.[4] The anterior part of dorsum is brown with black and dark brown patches, while the posterior half is green with grey patches. The snout is light green dorsally and the sides of the head are dark greyish-brown. The underside is off-white, with variable amounts of brown or grey spots forming a vermiculated pattern. The throat is darker than the belly, with dark grey margins and bands along the lips. The dorsal surface of the fore and hindlimbs are light greyish-brown, with irregular dark grey and light green cross-bands. The sides of the belly have brown and grey mottling. The groin and anterior parts of thigh are brown with white patches. The posterior edges of the thigh and shank are dark chocolate-brown. The hands and feet are green-tinged brownish-grey. The iris is reddish-grey with a faint horizontal brown band. The colour and markings of the dorsum are variable and possibly adapted to the frog's surroundings.[4]
Distribution and habitat
Raorchestes keirasabinae is endemic to the Western Ghats of Kerala and is currently known from elevations of 100–1,000 m south of the Palghat gap. It has been observed at Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, and PeriyarNational Park in the district of Idukki. Since the species inhabits the highest canopy layers and cannot be located easily, it could have a wider geographical range in the Western Ghats regions south of Palghat gap, both in Kerala and the adjoining state of Tamil Nadu.[4]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
