Raorchestes resplendens is a frog

Frog

Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...

 species belonging to the family Rhacophoridae

Rhacophoridae

Rhacophoridae is a family of frog species, which occur in tropical regions of Asia and Africa. They are commonly known as shrub frogs, or more ambiguously as "moss frogs" or "bush frogs". Some Rhacophoridae are called "tree frogs"...

. It is a novel species with extremely short limbs and numerous macroglands and has been discovered from the Anamudi

Anamudi

Anamudi is located in the Indian state Kerala. It is the highest peak in the Western Ghats and South India, at an elevation of , and a topographic prominence of...

 summit (2695 m asl) in the Western Ghats

Western Ghats

The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...

 forest of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The suggested vernacular name for the frog is 'resplendent shrubfrog'..

Description

Individuals of the species are distinguishable from all members of the genus by their bright reddish orange colour and multiple prominent glandular swelling. These are present laterally behind the eyes, on the side of the dorsum

Dorsum (biology)

In anatomy, the dorsum is the upper side of animals that typically run, fly, or swim in a horizontal position, and the back side of animals that walk upright. In vertebrates the dorsum contains the backbone. The term dorsal refers to anatomical structures that are either situated toward or grow...

, on the anterior side of the vent

Cloaca

In zoological anatomy, a cloaca is the posterior opening that serves as the only such opening for the intestinal, reproductive, and urinary tracts of certain animal species...

, on the dorsal side of forearm and shanks and on the posterior side of the tarsus

Tarsus (skeleton)

In tetrapods, the tarsus is a cluster of articulating bones in each foot situated between the lower end of tibia and fibula of the lower leg and the metatarsus. In the foot the tarsus articulates with the bones of the metatarsus, which in turn articulate with the bones of the individual toes...

 and metatarsus

Metatarsus

The metatarsus or metatarsal bones are a group of five long bones in the foot located between the tarsal bones of the hind- and mid-foot and the phalanges of the toes. Lacking individual names, the metatarsal bones are numbered from the medial side : the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth...

. The limbs are much shorter which has resulted in more pronounced crawling behaviour.

Distribution

The species is presently known to live within three km². on the Anamudi summit within the Eravikulam National Park

Eravikulam National Park

Eravikulam National Park is a 97 km² national park located along the Western Ghats in the Idukki district of Kerala in India, between 10º05'N - 10º20'N latitude and 77º0'E - 77º10'E longitude...

, India.

Etymology and systematics

The genus Raorchestes is named in honour of C. R. Narayan Rao

C. R. Narayan Rao

C.R. Narayan Rao was an Indian zoologist and herpetologist.Born in Coimbatore, he studied in Bellary and at the Madras Christian College under Professor Henderson who headed the department of zoology. After obtaining his graduate and post-graduate degrees and a gold medal for proficiency, he...

 in recognition of his contribution to Indian batrachology. The scientific nomen Orchestes is based on the first generic nomen coined for frogs of the Philautus

Philautus

Philautus is a genus of shrub frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. Some species in this genus are now considered extinct by IUCN, while others are widespread and abundant...

group, Orchestes Tschudi 1838. The specific epithet 'resplendens' is a Latin term meaning 'bright coloured, glittering, resplendent' referring to the bright red or orange pigmentation.

Behaviour

Females may mate with more than one male and breed more than once in a single season. The females burry their eggs under the moss-covered forest floor, deep inside the base of bamboo clumps.