NEW INDIAN FROG SPECIES

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New amphibian leapfrogs into limelight

Vaishnavi C Sekha

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1016689.cms

 

 

MUMBAI: Another frog has just jumped out of the Indian well. A new species

of tree frog, distinguished by webbed fingers and toes and with the ability

to change colour to suit its surroundings,has been discovered in the Western

Ghats, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, in the Wayanad district of

Kerala.

 

The find, by S D Biju and Franky Bossuyt who also discovered the famous

purple frog which made headlines around the world last year, was published

as the cover story of the scientific journal, Current Science, last month.

 

It has been named 'nerostagona' after its call, which resembles " the sound

of water drops falling on a stagnant puddle " — from the Greek 'nero' for

water and 'stagona' for drop—andmay well be India's first canopy frog, one

that lives on the upper branches of trees.

 

" Most tree frogs in India are seen on trees or bushes at a maximum height of

up to three to four metres. But this one is seen at a height of about 20

metres. This is the first high-canopy species of frog in the genus

'Philautus' in the world, " explains Varad Giri of the Bombay Natural History

Society (BNHS), adding that there are 140 species of 'Philautus'.

Incidentally, the poison dart frogs of Latin America are the most well-known

canopy frogs.

 

With its fully webbed toes and fingers and a frill-like extension on the

limbs, the nerostagona is built to survive on the top of trees. What makes

it even more unique is its ability to adapt its colour to its habitat.

 

" While many frogs change colour from green to gray, this is one of the few

that changes its colour according to the surroundings, " saidGiri. Because of

the height at which it lives and its camouflaging skills, the frog was not

easy to find.