Systematics and phylogeny of Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Anura, Rhacophoridae) in the Western Ghats of India, with descriptions of 12 new species
Author
Biju, S. D.
Author
Bossuyt, Franky
text
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
2009
2009-02-28
155
2
374
444
https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00466.x
journal article
10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00466.x
0024-4082
5445358
PHILAUTUS OCHLANDRAE
GURURAJA
ET AL
., 2007
(
FIGS 52A, B
,
53A; TABLE
2)
Type material:
Holotype
, ZSI/WGFRS/V/A/632, an adult male, SVL
25.6 mm
, collected from Kakkayam Reserve Forest,
Calicut
District,
Kerala
,
India
; (
Figs 52A, B
,
53A
). This combination of characters can also be observed in variations of
Philautus akroparallagi
sp. nov.
(
Fig. 4D
) and
P. signatus
(
Fig. 55B
). However,
P. ochlandrae
differs from
P. akroparallagi
sp. nov.
by its medium male adult size, SVL 23.9 ±
1.3 mm
,
N
= 5 (vs. small male adult size, SVL 20.7 ± 1.0 mm,
N
= 16), rounded snout (vs. pointed), head wider than long, HW 8.3 ±
0.3 mm
, HL 6.6 ±
0.6 mm
,
N
= 5 (vs. head length equal to width, HW 7.8 ±
0.4 mm
, HL 7.8 ±
0.5 mm
,
N
= 10), and from
P. signatus
by its rounded snout (vs. pointed), canthus rostralis rounded (vs. acute), head wider than long, HW 8.3 ±
0.3 mm
, HL 6.6 ±
0.6 mm
,
N
= 5 (vs. head length subequal to width, HW 10.8 ±
1.1 mm
, HL 10.6 ±
1.1 mm
,
N
= 8), and absence of a lingual papilla on the tongue (vs. tongue with a lingual papilla).
Figure 51.
Holotype of
Philautus nerostagona
: A, paratype (BNHS 4245); B, holotype (BNHS 4244) from Kalpetta.
Description of the
holotype
:
The detailed description and illustrations were published by
Gururaja
et al.
(2007b)
.
Figure 52.
Philautus ochlandrae
: A, specimen (SDB 6076) from Kakkayam Reserve Forest; B, specimen (BNHS 4559) from Kakkayam Reserve Forest.
paratypes
, ZSI/
WGFRS
/
V
/A/633 and ZSI/
WGFRS
/
V
/ A/637,
two males
, and ZSI/
WGFRS
/
V
/
A636
, a female, from the
holotype
locality.
Other material studied:
SDB 6076
and
BNHS
4559,
two adult
males collected from
Kakkayam Reserve Forest
,
Kerala
,
India
(
Table 2
)
.
Diagnosis:
Philautus ochlandrae
can be distinguished from known congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) medium male adult size (SVL 23.9 ±
1.3 mm
,
N
= 5); (2) canthus rostralis rounded; (3) snout rounded; (4) pupil with striking golden yellow dentition-like marks in life; (5) light brown to creamy yellowish, with two invariable and distinct golden yellow streaks running from snout, along the side of head, to near the vent.
Philautus ochlandrae
can be differentiated from all other known species of
Philautus
from the Western Ghats by its two distinct golden yellow streaks, extending from the snout along the side of head to near the vent, and by a pupil with striking golden yellow dentition-like marks in all colour morphs
Variation:
Measurements of
six specimens
including the
type
series are given in
Table 2
.
Distribution and natural history:
Philautus ochlandrae
is known only from the
type
locality in the Kakkayam Reserve Forest of the
Calicut
District (
Fig. 53A
). The
type
series was collected from the hollow tube of the internodal region of reed brake, about
2.5 m
above the ground. Breeding (amplexus) and oviposition also take place inside hollow reeds (
Gururaja
et al.
, 2007b
).