Uperodon variegatus
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Uperodon variegatus |
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| ( Stoliczka , 1872) |
Uperodon variegatus is awidespread frog from the family of narrow-mouth frogs (Microhylidae)in India and Sri Lanka .
description
Uperodon variegatus is a small narrow-mouthed frog less than 40 millimeters in length. Its basic color is brown, with light marbling on the back and irregular spots on the flanks. The chin and neck may be brown, but the belly is white and has no markings. The skin has only a few scattered small warts on the sides and belly. The males of Uperodon variegatus have a single fillet constant large vocal sac , which can be spotted brown. The distance between the eyes is slightly larger than the width of an eye. The toes are long and have thickened ends that are approximately twice as wide as the penultimate joint and have triangular adhesive discs . The toes are only equipped with webbing, on each of the feet there is an inner, strong and pronounced, an outer, inconspicuous heel hump . The ankles reach the shoulders with the hind legs pressed against the body.
Uperodon variegatus can be distinguished from the very similar species Uperodon montana and Uperodon triangularis by its pure white belly.
The tadpoles are brown or gray with small black and occasionally a blue dot on both flanks. They live at the bottom of the water and complete their metamorphosis within a month.
distribution
According to the first description of the species, the terra typica is the city of Eluru in the West Godavari district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh ( 16 ° 42 ′ N , 81 ° 6 ′ E ).
The distribution of Uperodon variegatus extends over almost the entire Indian subcontinent, with evidence from Tamil Nadu , Kerala , Karnataka , Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh , Orissa and West Bengal as well as Sri Lanka . Areas up to a height of 1000 meters above sea level are populated. There are different statements about the frequency; while some authors consider the species rare, others describe it as common. The World Conservation Union IUCN assumed a large population after an assessment in 2004 and described the species as locally common.
In a study of the preferred habitats of some species of frogs in the state of Orissa , it was found that Uperodon variegatus was found in the study area only in irrigated rice fields and very rarely in rural areas, but not in non-irrigated rice fields, in the forest or in the city. The species has been classified as a habitat specialist. In contrast, the IUCN takes the view that Uperodon variegatus colonizes a wide range of habitats .
Way of life
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Uperodon variegatus is often found in termite nests , which is why it is also called termite nest frog in India . The species is also often found buried under stones or dead wood. There they are occasionally found in the inhabited structures of scorpions of the genus Heterometrus , in the literature Heterometrus fulvipes and Heterometrus tristis are mentioned, in which they seek shelter. In the event of a disturbance, they run unmolested over the many times larger scorpions; if the scorpions run over them they freeze for a short time. If the skin is irritated, a thick, milky secretion is secreted, which is believed to protect the frog auger from attacks by scorpions.
Uperodon variegatus sometimes digs itself in soft ground , but only so deep that its nose remains above the ground. This is attributed to the fact that cover is usually sought under stones. A deep dig is therefore not necessary. Where the species inhabits irrigated rice fields , it digs itself into the earth walls that separate the parcels of rice fields from each other. Uperodon variegatus is considered a good climber who can use the adhesive discs on his toes to move up on vertical surfaces.
The way of life of Uperodon variegatus is poorly researched. Its diet is said to consist to a large extent of termites . A specimen has been observed to have been captured and eaten by a gecko of the species Hemidactylus parvimaculatus . In fact, the species is likely to have a broad diet and numerous predators of their own.
The mating calls of the sexually mature males of Uperodon variegatus were the subject of detailed bioacoustic studies, in which the German zoologist Hans Schneider was also involved. They usually call in the nights after heavy rains from April to October. The calls start between 9:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. and are given by the males while they are floating on the water. The mating call can be made individually, but the rule is an antiphony in interaction with competitors. A call lasts on average about one and a half minutes, from 30 seconds to four minutes. It consists of 18 to 80 groups of up to more than 100 individual sounds, with about 370 sounds being emitted per second. A single group of sounds lasts on average about 0.2 seconds and is followed by about 0.9 seconds of silence. The volume is highest at the beginning of a sound group, hardly changes until shortly before the end, and then drops rapidly. The sound groups are represented as harmonics with a basic frequency of around 340 Hertz . This is where Uperodon variegatus differs from other narrow-mouthed frogs . It is possible to safely identify the species through its mating call. In an environment with other calling frogs, this can be an advantage for bringing together willing males and females of a species.
In animal experiments, Uperodon variegatus has proven to be extremely salt-tolerant compared to other frogs. Natural seawater diluted to 0.8 percent salinity was well tolerated.
Danger
The World Conservation Union IUCN has Uperodon variegatus in 2004 subject to evaluation and classified the species as uncritical ( "Least Concern"). It was taken into account that the species has a large distribution area and a large number of individuals. It colonized a wide range of habitats and no decline in populations is to be expected that would justify classification in a hazard category. Endangerment can occur through habitat loss as a result of human interference in the landscape and through various forms of environmental pollution.
Systematics
External system
In 2015 the results of a comprehensive molecular genetic study of the narrow-mouthed frogs were published. The genus Kaloula has been recognized as paraphyletic . Kaloula taprobanica and the previous genus Ramanella Rao & Ramanna , 1925, form a clade with the genus Uperodon Duméril & Bibron , 1841 , so that they were combined in the genus described first. The genus Uperodon is part of the subfamily Microhylinae .
Initial description
The first description of Uperodon variegatus was carried out by Ferdinand Stoliczka in 1872 in an article on Indian Anura, in the Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal was published. His description was based on two specimens collected by William Thomas Blanford in Eluru . One of these specimens belonged to the zoological collection of the Indian Museum in Calcutta , the second was in Stoliczka's private collection.
Synonyms (selection)
- Callula variegata Stoliczka , 1872: the original name, from the first description by Ferdinand Stoliczka.
- Callula olivacea Günther , 1875: the species was described by Albert Günther in 1875 after two specimens from Malabar .
- Ramanella symbiotica Rao & Ramanna , 1925: this species was described by CR Nayaran Rao and BS Ramanna as a type of the new genus Ramanella . For the first description there were eight specimens from what is now the Bengaluru Urban district in the state of Karnataka . The species name symbiotica , in the first description with the unintentional misspelling symbioitca , refers to the observed association with scorpions.
literature
- JC Daniel: Field Guide to the Amphibians of Western India. Part 2. In: Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 1963, Volume 60, No. 3, pp. 690-702, digitized .
- Madhab C. Dash and JK Mahanta: Quantitative analysis of the community structure of tropical amphibian assemblages and its significance to conservation. In: Journal of Biosciences 1993, Volume 18, No. 1, pp. 121-139, doi : 10.1007 / BF02703044 .
- Channayya Rajashekar Hiremath: Acoustics and reproductive biology of some anurans. Ph.D. thesis in zoology, Karnatak University, Dharwad 1993, online .
Web links
- Uperodon variegatus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017.2. Posted by: S. Dutta and K. Manamendra-Arachchi, 2004. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d J. C. Daniel: Field Guide to the Amphibians of Western India, p. 700.
- ↑ Channayya Rajashekar Hiremath: Acoustics and reproductive biology of some anurans, p. 8.
- ^ A b c Ferdinand Stoliczka: Observations on Indian Batrachia. In: Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 1872, pp. 101-113, here pp. 111-112, digitized .
- ^ JC Daniel: Field Guide to the Amphibians of Western India, p. 699.
- ↑ Kaushik Deuti: Occurrence of Ramanella variegata (Anura: Microhylidae) in West Bengal with notes on its distribution in India. In: Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 1998, Volume 95, pp. 126-127, digitized .
- ↑ a b c S. Dutta and K. Manamendra-Arachchi: Uperodon variegatus . In: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016 , doi : 10.2305 / IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T57992A91636474.en , accessed November 25, 2017.
- ↑ Madhab C. Dash and JK Mahanta: Quantitative analysis of the community structure, p. 130.
- ↑ Madhab C. Dash and JK Mahanta: Quantitative analysis of the community structure, pp. 132-133.
- ↑ a b c d C. R. Nayaran Rao and BS Ramanna: On a new genus of the family Engystomatidae (Batrachia). In: Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1925, Volume 95, No. 2, pp. 587-597, here pp. 589-590, doi : 10.1111 / j.1096-3642.1925.tb01529.x .
- ^ John Robertson Henderson : Two new scorpions from Southern India. In: Records of the Indian Museum of Calcutta 1919, Volume 16, pp. 379-381, here p. 380, digitized .
- ^ William Thomas Blanford : Notes on a collection of Reptiles and Frogs from the neighborhood of Ellore and Dumagudem. In: Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 1879, Volume 48, Part II, Physical Science, pp. 110-116, here p. 116, digitized .
- ↑ Madhab C. Dash and JK Mahanta: Quantitative analysis of the community structure, p. 137.
- ↑ DMS Suranjan Karunarathna and AA Thasun Amarasinghe: Hemidactylus parvimaculatus Deraniyagala, 1953 (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) feeds on Ramanella variegata (Stoliczka, 1872) (Amphibia: Microhylidae) in Sri Lanka. In: Taprobanica: The Journal of Asian Biodiversity 2010, Volume 2, No. 2, P. 104, Online PDF , 29 kB.
- ↑ Channayya Rajashekar Hiremath: Acoustics and reproductive biology of some anurans, pp. 54-55.
- ↑ Channayya Rajashekar Hiremath: Acoustics and reproductive biology of some anurans, p. 67.
- ↑ Ravishankar Dundappa Kanamadi, Channayya Rajashekar Hiremath and Hans Schneider : The Advertisement Call of the South Indian Frog Ramanella variegata (Microhylidae). In: Journal of Herpetology 1993, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 218-219, JSTOR 1564941 .
- ↑ George Chakko: Salinity tolerances in some South Indian anurans . In: Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences - Section B 1968, Volume 67, No. 5, pp. 233-236, Online PDF , 510 kB.
- ↑ Pedro LV Peloso et al .: The impact of anchored phylogenomics and taxon sampling on phylogenetic inference in narrow-mouthed frogs (Anura, Microhylidae). In: Cladistics 2016, Volume 32, No. 2, pp. 113-140, here p. 138, doi : 10.1111 / cla.12118 .
- ^ Albert Günther: Third Report on Collections of Indian Reptiles obtained by the British Museum. In: Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1875, pp. 567-577 and Plate 63-66, here pp. 576-577 and Plate 64, Fig. B, digitized .