Raorchestes chotta, also known as the small bushfrog or small bush frog, is a species of frog found only in Ponmudi in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India. This frog lays eggs attached to the underside of a leaf. They hatch as tiny froglets, skipping the tadpole stage.[2][3] The frog has been observed between 600 and 980 meters above sea level.[1]
| Small bushfrog | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Rhacophoridae |
| Genus: | Raorchestes |
| Species: | R. chotta
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| Binomial name | |
| Raorchestes chotta (Biju & Bossuyt, 2009)
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| Synonyms | |
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Scientists classify this frog as endangered because of its small, fragmented range, which is still subject to considerable degradation. Human beings convert the forest to tea and areca nut plantations, and scientists suspect infrastructure from tourism may also cause problems. Although the frog's range includes one park, Ponmudi Reserve Forest, the management in this forest is not the best.[1]
Scientists believe the chytridiomycosis-inducing fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis could infect this frog because it has been observed on other frogs in Raorchestes, but it has not been formally confirmed.[1]
Original description
edit- Biju SD; Bossuyt F (2009). "Systematics and phylogeny of Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Anura, Rhacophoridae) in the Western Ghats of India, with descriptions of 12 new species". Zool J Linn Soc (Abstract). 155 (2): 374–444. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00466.x.
References
edit- ^ a b c d IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2023). "Small Bushfrog: Raorchestes chotta". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 3.1: e.T186160A166114872. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T186160A166114872.en. 186160. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- ^ Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Raorchestes chotta (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ "Raorchestes chotta (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009)". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
External links
edit
Data related to Raorchestes chotta at Wikispecies
