Xanthophryne tigerina

Xanthophryne tigerina
Amboli tiger toads mating
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Bufonidae
Genus:	Xanthophryne
Species:	X. tigerina
Binomial name
Xanthophryne tigerina Biju, Van Bocxlaer, Giri, Loader, and Bossuyt, 2009 [2]
Synonyms
Xanthophryne tigerinusBiju, Van Bocxlaer, Giri, Loader, and Bossuyt, 2009

Xanthophryne tigerina, sometimes known as the Amboli toad, ^[3] is a species of toads. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of India and known only from the vicinity of Amboli in Maharashtra. ^[4] It was described as a new species in 2009 and placed in a new genus along with its sister species Xanthophryne koynayensis . ^[2]

Description

This species is medium-sized for a toad, males are smaller (male snout–vent length 28–33 mm (1.1–1.3 in), female 33–35 mm (1.3–1.4 in)), somewhat elongated with a broken canthal ridge. They are yellowish with dark stripes on top and sides of the body and lack webbing between the toes and fingers. ^[2]

Egg clutch laid in a temporary puddle

Reproduction

Breeding takes place in temporary ponds in cavities within lateritic rock. About 30–35 eggs are laid in a clutch. ^[2]

Habitat and conservation

This species occurs on the ground in patchy evergreen forest and plantations. It is considered "Critically Endangered" because it is known from a single location only, its habitat is declining in the extent and quality (loss of forest cover), and its abundance is declining. ^[1]

References

1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2011). "Xanthophryne tigerina". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2011 e.T189700A8763964. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T189700A8763964.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
2. Biju, S.D.; Van Bocxlaer, Ines; Giri, Varad B.; Loader, Simon P.; Bossuyt, Franky (2009). "Two new endemic genera and a new species of toad (Anura: Bufonidae) from the Western Ghats of India". BMC Research Notes. 2: 241. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.356.3062 . doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-2-241 . PMC   2797014 . PMID   19968866.
3. "Amboli toad (Xanthophryne tigerina)". Wildscreen Arkive. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
4. Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Xanthophryne tigerina Biju, Van Bocxlaer, Giri, Loader, and Bossuyt, 2009". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 24 July 2014.