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| Indirana chiravasi
Padhye, Modak & Dahanukar, 2014
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Abstract
Indirana chiravasi, a new species of leaping frog is described from the northern Western Ghats around Amboli, Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India. It differs from all its congeners based on a combination of characters including presence of median single internal vocal sac, head longer than wide, distinct canthus rostralis, tympanum 2/3rd to 3/4th the diameter of eye, vomerine teeth in two oblique series at the posterior border of choanae, long midventral lingual papilla, first finger longer than or equal to second, presence of double outer palmer tubercle, thin and elongated inner metatarsal tubercle, absence of outer metatarsal tubercle, webbing moderate, dorsal skin with glandular folds but without warts, ventral skin smooth without mottling and palms and soles dark brown. Molecular analysis based on mitochondrial 12S and 16S genes and nuclear rhodopsin and rag1 genes suggests that the species is genetically distinct from other species for which genetic data is available. Preliminary observations on the development of the species are also provided. We also provide genetic data and images for Indirana gundia collected from the type locality.
Keywords: Endemic frogs, Indirana gundia, molecular phylogeny, new species, taxonomy.
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| Image 6. Indirana chiravasi sp. nov. in life (a) paratype (BNHS 5890) and (b) paratype (WILD-14-AMP-491). |
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| Image 6. Indirana chiravasi sp. nov. in life (a) paratype (BNHS 5890) and (b) paratype (WILD-14-AMP-491). Image 8. Eggs of Indirana chiravasi sp. nov. laid in the moss on a lateritic rock.
Image 9. Indirana chiravasi sp. nov. hatchlings and egg (a), early phase tadpoles without forelimb (b), late phase tadpoles with fore limbs (c) and different stages in tail regression and completion of metamorphosis (d–e).
Photos: (a, b) Abhijeet Bayani and (c–e) Avishkar Munje. DOI: 10.11609/JoTT.o4068.6293-312
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Etymology: The specific epithet, a combination of words ‘chir’ (singular) or ‘chira’ (plural) which means crevice or crevices in Marathi and ‘vasi’ in Sanskrit means ‘inhabitant of’, which emphasizes crevice dwelling habit of this species. The specific name is noun in apposition.
Distribution: The species is currently known only from its type locality at Amboli (15.9560
N & 73.9970 E; 744m), which is a small hill station in the southwestern Maharashtra, India (Fig. 1).
Anand D. Padhye, Nikhil Modak and Neelesh Dahanukar. 2014. A New Species of Leaping Frog (Anura: Ranixalidae) from Western Ghats of India. Journal of Threatened Taxa.
6(10): 6293–6312. DOI: 10.11609/JoTT.o4068.6293-312
