ZOBODAT - www.zobodat.at Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature Zeitschrift/Journal: Herpetozoa Jahr/Year: 2017 Band/Volume: 29_3_4 Autor(en)/Author(s): Sengupta Shruti, Das Abhijit, Ahmed Firoz Artikel/Article: Distribution of Rhacophorus burmanus (ANDERSSON, 1939), with notes on its natural history 194-198 All_SHORT_NOTES:SHORT_NOTE.qxd 08.02.2017 16:06 Seite 12 194 SHORT NOTE HERPETOZOA 29 (3/4) Wien, 30. Jänner 2017 SHORT NOTE Distribution of Rhacophorus Rhacophorus burmanus is said to burmanus (ANDERSSON , 1939), occur in the Hengduan mountains, western with notes on its natural history Yunnan (gaoshan, Tengchong, and Baoshan counties), and northern myanmar ( AO et al. 2003). In India, it is reported from Puli - The frog genus Rhacophorus KuHl & badze in Nagaland ( AO et al. 2003; STuART VAN HASSElT , 1822, is represented by 88 et al. 2008; OHlER 2009). The authors of species ( FROST et al 2015) twelve of which the present note report R. burmanus from are known from India. The occurrence of Kohima, Khonoma, Dzuku and Dzuleke in Rhacophorus kio OHlER & D ElORmE , 2006 , Nagaland and Shiroi village in manipur. in India is doubtful. members of the genus The manipur location is the first record of are identified by the presence of webbing the species from the state and extends the and discs on the tips of fingers and toes known range by 65 km south of previous (BOulENgER 1890), surrounded by a mar - records from India. There is a photograph - ginal groove. In most species, fingers and ic record of the species from Eagle Nest toes are fully webbed ( lIEm 1970). Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh Polypedates (Rhacophorus ) dennysii which needs to be verified ( SHETH 2010). burmana was described by ANDERS SON The distribution map (Fig. 1) was pre - (1939) from a single specimen collected in pared using 71 locations (Appendix I) col - 1934 at Kambawti village in northeast lected from literature surveys, online muse - myanmar, close to the Chinese border. In um databases (VertNet < http://portal. vert - his description, the author characterized the net.org/ > and global Biodiversity Infor - frog by its pointed snout, distinct canthus mation Facility < http://wwwgbif.org/ >) and rostralis and distinct supratemporal fold. field surveys conducted independently by unlike many other species of the genus, the the authors (Appendix I). The locality search toes and fingers are not completely webbed in the online museum databases was done (fingers with webbing: I 1–1¼ II 1–2½ using the taxa Rhacophorus /Polypedates III 1–1 IV, according to OHlER 2009), the taronensis and Rhacophorus /Polypedates membrane touching the disc of the 4th finger gongshanensis . location data was cleaned and the outer side of the 2nd finger ( SmITH and only the geo-referenced locations were 1940). used to prepare the map. In 1940, SmITH described Rhacopho - The locations were used to run the rus taronensis from Patsarlamdam in north - species distribution model in maxEnt (ver. ern myanmar, and YANg & S u (1984) Rha - 3.3.3k) to assess the probable range of the cophorus gongshanensis from Puman sao, species in the landscape. To make sure not to Baoshan County, Yunnan. AO et al. (2003) over-parameterize the model with redundant reported R. gongshanensis as new for India climate data, only two ecologically relevant based on eleven specimens collected from environmental variables were used based on Puliebadze, Nagaland. WIlKINSON & R AO the biology of the species being an amphibian (2004) implied Polypedates (Rhaco phorus ) with active breeding period during monsoon. gongshanensis to be a subjective junior syn - The variables were precipitation, minimum onym of R. taronensis after comparison and maximum temperature of the months from with the holotypes and a paratype from April to October. These environmental layers myanmar. He considered the variations to of current conditions with grid size of 1 km 2 be attributed to sexual dimorphism and nor - were downloaded from WorldClim (ver. mal ranges of differences within a species. 1.4) ( HIJmANS et al. 2005). These data lay - AHmED et al. (2009) listed R. taronensis ers were generated through interpolation of from Nagaland in northeastern India. average monthly climate data from weather OHlER (2009) synonymized R. taronensis stations around the world on a 30 arc-sec - and R. gongshanensis with R. burmanus ond resolution grid ( HIJmANS et al. 2005). (ANDERSSON , 1939) based on the similarities Prior to use, the WorldClim grids were among the type specimens and considering clipped in ArcgIS based on the extent of the the variations between them to be intraspe - locations. The presence only model was run cific. using the default settings. The mean area All_SHORT_NOTES:SHORT_NOTE.qxd 08.02.2017 16:06 Seite 13 SHORT NOTE HERPETOZOA 29 (3/4) Wien, 30. Jänner 2017 SHORT NOTE 195 Fig. 1: map showing predicted distribution of Rhacophorus burmanus (ANDERSSON , 1939), in South East Asia, prepared using 71 record localities specified in Appendix I. under the curve (AuC) value of the model terized by few heavy showers. During that generated was 0.987. This falls within the time, R. burmanus is relatively abundant in accepted range of model evaluation. The Nagaland at elevations from 1,200 m to distribution model clearly shows that the 2,580 m a.s.l. species has discontinuity in the predicted maximum breeding activity was ob - range and the probability of distribution is served during march-April. Pairs in ingui - high (0.5 to 0.8) between altitudes of 962 to nal amplexus were recorded both by day 2,972 m a.s.l. (Fig. 1). and night at an ambient temperature of The natural history of the species is 13.8 °C and 77 % humidity; water tempera - poorly known and not documented in the lit - ture was 11 °C. For breeding this species erature. The following account is based on uses ponds and tanks (smaller than 100 m 2), the authors’ personal observations. Rhaco - waterlogged terraces, cultivation areas or phorus burmanus is an early breeder. In accumulated water of a seasonal stream, as Nagaland and manipur states, breeding well as puddles along the road. The eggs activity of the species was recorded from are laid in a foam nest. The foam nests are march to may. The breeding season coin - often seen along the edges of the above cides with the pre-monsoon season charac - water bodies or are attached to overhanging All_SHORT_NOTES:SHORT_NOTE.qxd 08.02.2017 16:06 Seite 14 196 SHORT NOTE HERPETOZOA 29 (3/4) Wien, 30. Jänner 2017 SHORT NOTE Figs. 2A – 2D: Four color morphs of Rhacophorus burmanus (ANDERSSON , 1939) , collected at Shiroi Village, manipur (Shiroi-Kasom Hill range), India. small woody shrubs, ca. 0.6 to 0.9 m above dorsum, the lower lip is whitish or gray. the water surface. The eggs are whitish. Ventrally, the coloration is creamy with During nighttime, individuals were small dark brown flecks; their number is observed calling from wet ground and rain - increased on throat, chest and sides. Thigh water puddles on the road. During daytime, and shank are ventrally creamy to white individuals were found taking refuge under with dark brown spots. The forelimbs are the thick moist grass carpet along the banks the same colorpattern as the hind limbs. of ponds and at the base of tall (1 m) grass - The hind part of the thigh is maculated with es near terrace cultivation. dark brown lines and spots with white cen - Coloration in life: Dorsally (including ters. The iris is golden in color. limbs) green to light green with many irreg - This species is extensively harvested ular sized brown spots and variable in num - as food, locally. In Nagaland the frog is ber, sometimes without any spots. A white locally known as “Khereer” and regarded as line extends from the tip of the snout across a delicacy. Peak harvesting season coin - the canthus, along the edge of the upper eye - cides with the peak breeding activity (march- lid and along the entire supratympanic fold. April) however, in manipur (Shiroi-Kasom The line may be absent or gray in color. The Hill range) local people were seen collect - dark brown maculation of the flanks enclos - ing this species in the month of July in es cream spots. Occasionally, these spots are Shiroi Village. Out of the four adult frogs as joined to form an uneven line from axilla to collected by them, three were brown on the groin. The upper lip is the same color as the dorsum and one was dull green, but all three All_SHORT_NOTES:SHORT_NOTE.qxd 08.02.2017 16:06 Seite 15 SHORT NOTE HERPETOZOA 29 (3/4) Wien, 30. Jänner 2017 SHORT NOTE 197 individuals turned into bright green within (27.881° N, 98.341536° E); Dulong Valley (27.842° N, three hours after they were kept in a jar (Fig. 98.3281443° E); Dulong Valley (27.839° N, 98.331° E); mingguang Township, ZiZhi (25.782° N, 98.616° E); 2). morphological characters match the de - Zhengding, Xiao Di Fang Village (24.881° N, 98.752° scription of R. burmanus (maximum snout to E); guChenShan (mountain) Nature Reserve (24.832° vent length = 60 mm, dorsal skin granular, N, 98.7622031° E); Zhengding (24.846° N, circum-marginal grooves present on fingers 98.7571956° E); Jin Chang He (River), Bai Hua ling (25.313° N, 98.766° E); Jin Chang He (River), Bai Hua and toes, sub articular tubercles single and ling (25.301° N, 98.7842000° E); BaoShan (25.302° N, distinct). Prior to this, there is no published 98.783° E); Dulong Valley, Bapo (27.771° N, 98.337° record of the species from mani pur. E); Dulong Valley,