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Raorchestes kaikatti

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Raorchestes kaikatti
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Rhacophoridae
Genus: Raorchestes
Species:
R. kaikatti
Binomial name
Raorchestes kaikatti
(Biju & Bossuyt, 2009)
Synonyms

Philautus kaikatti Biju and Bossuyt, 2009

Raorchestes kaikatti, sometimes known as the Kaikatti bushfrog or Kaikatt's bush frog, is an endangered frogs found in the Nelliampathi Hills within the Western Ghats of Kerala, India.[1][2] The species is named after Kaikatti, its type locality.[3][4]

Raorchestes kaikatti are small (but medium-sized in Raorchestes terms), relatively robust-bodied frogs. Males measure 23–26 mm (0.91–1.02 in) in snout–vent length (the type series did not include any females). The dorsum is dark greyish brown with irregular light-grey and dark-brown blotches. There is a dark horizontal grey band in between the eyes.[3]

Scientists named this frog for the place where it was found, Kaikatti.[3] Later surveys showed the frog to be present in small patches of evergreen forest, where it could be found in the canopy, as high as 5 meters above the ground. It was also observed on coffee plantations and other farms near forests.[1]

Scientists classify this frog as endangered because of its small, threatened range and inferred low tolerance to habitat disturbance. Its habitat is subject to continued deforestation associated with small-scale agriculture and the construction of tourism infrastructure.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2023). "Kaikatti Bush Frog: Raorchestes kaikatti". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 3.1. p. e.T186163A166115130. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T186163A166115130.en. 186163. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  2. ^ Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Raorchestes kaikatti (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Biju, S. D.; Bossuyt, F. (2009). "Systematics and phylogeny of Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Anura, Rhacophoridae) in the Western Ghats of India, with descriptions of 12 new species". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 155 (2): 374–444. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00466.x.
  4. ^ "Raorchestes kaikatti (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009)". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
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