Pseudophilautus

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Pseudophilautus
Calling male of Pseudophilautus amboli with a throaty vocal sac

Calling male of Pseudophilautus amboli with a throaty vocal sac
Systematics
without rank: Amphibians (Lissamphibia)
Order : Frog (anura)
Subordination : Neobatrachia
Family : Rowing frogs (Rhacophoridae)
Subfamily : Rhacophorinae
Genre : Pseudophilautus
Scientific name
Pseudophilautus
Laurent , 1943
Pseudophilautus hypomelas was considered extinct but was rediscovered in 2013.

Pseudophilautus is a genus of frogs in the rowing frog family. They are only found in the Western Ghats in southwest India and Sri Lanka , where the majority of the species are common.

features

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The species of the genus Pseudophilautus live on trees and have widened adhesive discs at the finger and toe ends that make climbing easier for them. Similar to the tree frogs, they have an intermediate cartilage between the penultimate and last finger and toe phalanx, which allows the limbs to be pressed onto the surface in any position of the limbs.

Reproduction and development

In contrast to most other genera of rowing frogs, Pseudophilautus species have a direct development, so there is no tadpole stage. Instead, the larval development takes place within the eggs, which are laid in moist places on land, and ready-made young frogs hatch. Although the eggs still require high levels of moisture and dry out easily, this enables the frogs to colonize moist habitats without open water.

Most species deposit their clutches on the ground in moist soil, only a few on leaves of low bushes such as Pseudophilautus femoralis or on the bark of trees such as the Ceylonese rowfrog Pseudophilautus microtympanum . Especially in rainy periods, the males call intensely for the females in the evening and at night. When one approaches, the male clasps it . In species that lay their eggs in the ground, the pairs descend from the bushes to the ground and change their color to adapt to their surroundings. The females look for a suitable spot and dig a trough in which to lay the eggs. After laying eggs, the female covers the clutch with moist soil and then leaves the nest. The male returns to his hide. There is no brood care for these species. In species that attach their eggs to the underside of leaves or the bark of trees, there is no change in color. However, the female guards the clutch for a few hours.

The eggs of this genus have a diameter of 3.7 to 5.7 millimeters. The development of the frogs to hatch takes 24 to 68 days. The embryos of Pseudophilautus do not develop gills in the egg, they probably breathe through their skin, especially on their tail, which is well supplied with blood. Depending on the species, the small frogs still have a more or less long tail stump after hatching, but this disappears after a short time. The yolk sac is, however, still present after hatching.

Systematics and taxonomy

In 2009, the genus Pseudophilautus was reestablished after merging with the genus Philautus in 1985 . At that time the genus had a distribution area between Sri Lanka and southeast China and Vietnam. The common characteristic of all these species was the direct development in the egg without a free-living tadpole stage. Molecular genetic studies nevertheless suggested a division into two clades , the first of which mainly contained the species from Sri Lanka, the other the species from southern India to China and Vietnam. For the latter, the generic name Raorchestes was established in 2010 .

Recent research suggests a phylogenetic development of the genus Pseudophilautus , which led across a land bridge from India to Sri Lanka towards the end of the Eocene . From the Oligocene onwards, climate change accelerated the radiation of the genus, which led to the gradual emergence of new species until the late Miocene , around 8.8 million years ago. At this time, the establishment of the annual monsoon rains favored the return of the genus Pseudophilautus to the Indian subcontinent, where it could not diversify as much as in Sri Lanka due to the spread of the species of the genus Raorchestes .

species

There are currently 80 species described. Many of the species are considered to have died out recently and are marked with † in the list of species below. On the other hand, species believed to be lost have been rediscovered through intensive research.

(As of February 6, 2019)

Pseudophilautus hoffmanni from Sri Lanka
Pseudophilautus amboli from South India

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b L. J. Mendis Wickramasinghe, Dulan Ranga Vidanapathirana, MD Gehan Rajeev, N. Wickramasinghe: Rediscovery of Pseudophilautus hypomelas (Günther, 1876) (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae) from the Peak Wilderness, Sri Lanka, a species thought to be extinct! Journal of Threatened Taxa, 5, 17, pp. 5181-5193, 2013, ( PDF ) doi : 10.11609 / jott.o3547.5181-93
  2. ↑ a b Darrel R. Frost: Pseudophilautus , Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. Electronic Database accessible at American Museum of Natural History, New York 1998-2019, accessed February 6, 2019
  3. ↑ a b c Mohomed M. Bahir, Madhava Meegaskumbura, Kelum Manamendra-Arachchi, Christopher J. Schneider, Rohan Pethiyagoda: Reproduction and terrestrial direct development in Sri Lankan shrub frogs (Ranidae: Rhacophorinae: Philautus). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement 12, pp. 339-350, 2005, ( PDF )
  4. ↑ J.-t. Li, J. Che, RW Murphy, H. Zhao, E.-m. Zhao, D.-q. Rao & Y.-p. Zhang: New insights on 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, pp. 509-522, 2009.
  5. ↑ SD Biju, YS Shouche, A. Dubois, SK Dutta & F. Bossuyt: A ground-dwelling rhacophorid frog from the highest mountain peak of the Western Ghats of India. Current Science, 98, pp. 1119-1125, Bangalore 2010.
  6. ↑ Madhava Meegaskumbura, GayaniSenevirathne, Kelum Manamendra-Arachchi, Rohan Pethiyagoda, James Hanken, Christopher J. Schneider: Diversification of shrub frogs (Rhacophoridae, Pseudophilautus) in Sri Lanka - Timing and geographic context. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 132, pp. 14-24, 2019, doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2018.11.004
  7. ↑ LJ Mendis Wickramasinghe, Dulan Ranga Vidanapathirana, S. Airyarathne, G. Rajeev, A. Chanaka, J. Pastorini, G. Chathuranga, N. Wickramasinghe: Lost and found: One of the world's most elusive amphibians, Pseudophilautus stellatus (Kelaart 1853 ) rediscovered. Zootaxa 3620, 1, pp. 112–128, 2013, ( PDF ) doi : 10.11646 / zootaxa.3620.1.5
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa K. Manamendra-Arachchi, R. Pethiyagoda: The Sri Lankan shrub frogs of the genus Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Ranidae: Rhacophorinae), with description of 27 new species. In: CJ Yeo, PKL Ng & R. Pethiyagoda (eds.): Contributions to biodiversity exploration and research in Sri Lanka , The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement 12, pp. 163-303, 2005, ( PDF ).
  9. ↑ a b c d e f g h i L. J. Mendis Wickramasinghe, Dulan Ranga Vidanapathirana, MD Gehan Rajeev, S. Chathuranga Ariyarathne, AW Amila Chanaka, LL Dharshana Priyantha, Imesh Nuwan Bandara, Nethu Wickramasinghe: Eight new species of Pseudophilautus (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae) from Sripada World Heritage Site (Peak Wilderness), a local amphibian hotspot in Sri Lanka . Journal of Threatened Taxa, 5, 4, pp. 3789-3920, 2013, doi : 10.11609 / JoTT.o3099.3789-920
  10. ↑ a b c d e f g M. Meegaskumbura, K. Manamendra-Arachchi: Description of eight new species of shrub frogs (Ranidae: Rhacophorinae: Philautus ) from Sri Lanka. In: In: CJ Yeo, PKL Ng & R. Pethiyagoda (eds.): Contributions to biodiversity exploration and research in Sri Lanka , The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement 12, pp. 305–338, 2005 ( PDF ).
  11. ↑ a b M. Meegaskumbura, K. Manamendra-Arachchi: Two new species of shrub frogs (Rhacophoridae: Pseudophilautus ) from Sri Lanka . Zootaxa 2747, pp. 1-18, 2011, ( PDF ).
  12. ↑ a b M. Meegaskumbura, K. Manamendra-Arachchi, CJ Schneider & R. Pethiyagoda: New species amongst Sri Lanka's extinct shrub frogs (Amphibia: Rhacophoridae: Philautus) . Zootaxa 1397, pp. 1–15, 2007, ( PDF  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ).@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / meegaskumbura-etal-2007_zootaxa-2.pdf  

Web links

Commons : Pseudophilautus  - collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Darrel R. Frost: Pseudophilautus , Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. Electronic Database accessible at American Museum of Natural History, New York 1998-2019, accessed February 6, 2019
  • Species list of the family Rhacophoridae , Amphibiaweb, accessed on February 6, 2019