Amphibians of the Duars area of Northern West Bengal
Author
Deuti, Kaushik
Author
Ray, Sukumar
Author
Bag, Probhat
Author
Dey, Swapan Kumar
text
Records of the Zoological Survey of India
2017
2017-12-01
117
3
221
241
http://dx.doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v117/i3/2017/120966
journal article
10.26515/rzsi/v117/i3/2017/120966
2581-8686
13184215
6.
Uperodon globulosus
(Gunther, 1864)
1864.
Cacopus globulosum
Gunther,
Rept. Brit.
India
: 416.
Common Name
: Balloon Frog (English).
Specimens examined
:
2 ex: A 11937 from
Rajabhatkhawa
,
Buxa Tiger Reserve
,
Alipurduar district
,
West Bengal
(26°36’839”N, 89°31’929”E) collected on
02.vi.2014
and A 12438 from
Kodalbasti forest
,
Jalpaiguri district
,
West Bengal
(
26°38’023”N
, 89°21’927”E) collected on
16.viii.2015
. The measurements of the frogs collected are given below in millimeters:
Colour:
Greyish-grey or reddish-brown above and dirty brown below turning to bright yellow during the breeding season.
Habitat:
Largely open forest and forest fringes including villages and farms and even suburban areas.
Remarks:
They are nocturnal and burrowing in habit and are rarely seen except when they come out to breed. They are excellent burrowers using the strong pedal tubercles on the hind legs to quickly disappear underground. Feeding schedule is perhaps restricted to the breeding season in early monsoon. They hop or walk clumsily on land. On being disturbed, they inhale air into their enormously distensible lungs while keeping the head downwards and the two sides of the abdomen swells like a balloon. During this time, a sticky white fluid is secreted. Reported earlier from
West Bengal
(
Sarkar, Biswas and Ray, 1992
) and Deuti (1995).