''Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus'', also known as Anaimalai flying frog, false Malabar gliding frog, and false Malabar tree frog, is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

in the family

Rhacophoridae The Rhacophoridae are a family of frogs in tropical sub-Saharan Africa, South India and Sri Lanka, Japan, northeastern India to eastern China and Taiwan, south through the Philippines and Greater Sundas, and Sulawesi. They are commonly known as ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the

Anaimalai Hills The Anamala or Anaimalai, also known as the Elephant Mountains, are a range of mountains in the southern Western Ghats of central Kerala ( Idukki district, Ernakulam district, Palakkad district, Thrissur district) and span the border of wester ...

, a part of the southern the Western Ghats in the

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

and

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

states,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Description

Adult males measure and adult females in

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the mos ...

. The eyes are protruding. The supra-tympanic fold is distinct. The fingers and toes are extensively webbed; the webbing is light yellow to red-orange in color. Juveniles have distinctive black zebra-like pattern that becomes fainter in adults, resembling venation of leaf; the background colour is green. Scientists note that this is the only species in ''Rhacophorus'' to resemble a leaf in this way and speculate its purpose is

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

Habitat and conservation

''Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus'' has been recorded in tropical moist evergreen forest, in secondary forests on the fringe of abandoned cardamom plantation, in a marshy area beside a perennial stream outside a cardamom plantation, and near an artificial water hole between the evergreen forest and tea plantation. Specimens have been recorded both in lower canopy and understorey vegetation and on the ground. Its elevational range is

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. Scientists note that one easy way to tell this frog apart from '' R. malabaricus'' is to obeserve the elevation at which the specimen was found: ''R. malabaricus'' lives closer to sea level. Reproduction takes place on vegetation overhanging marshy areas, ponds, and streams. The male frog's advertisement call resembles "trrr tik tik tik tik trrrr." Amplexus can last one hour. The female frog uses her hind legs and fluid from a gland near her cloaca to make a foam nest in which she deposits eggs, which the male subsequently fertilizes. The female frog will then cover the nest with leaves or grass using her front limbs. This species is known from at least two protected areas,

Indira Gandhi National Park Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park and as Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area in the Anaimalai Hills of Pollachi and Valparai taluks of Coimbatore District and Udumalaipet ...

and

Parambikulam Tiger Reserve Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, which also includes the erstwhile Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, is a Protected areas of India, protected area lying in Palakkad district and Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. The Wildlife Sanctuary, ...

. Outside the protected areas, it is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

caused by conversion of forests to other uses as well as by timber extraction, and conversion of forest to pastureland. Many nearby humans harbor a dislike for this frog: Cardamom farmers believe that the frog eats cardamom fruit and so consider the frog an agricultural pest. Scientists note that there is currently no evidence for or against this belief. Some farmers will pay others to catch and kill the frog. There is also a local belief that the frog is a bad omen, especially for pregnant women. This frog is one of many that is subject to capture for the illegal pet trade.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2705429 pseudomalabaricus Frogs of India Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats Amphibians described in 2000 Taxa named by Karthikeyan Vasudevan Taxonomy articles created by Polbot