Rhacophorus malabaricus
Encyclopedia
The Malabar Flying Frog (Rhacophorus malabaricus) is a moss frog
species
found in the Western Ghats
of India
.
" refers to its ability to break their fall by stretching the webbing between their toes when making leaps down from the treetops. It can make gliding jumps of 9-12 meters, a maximum of about 115 times its length.
which has a black-marbled back and was long included in the present species. In preserved specimens, the back turns purplish blue. The belly is more coarsely granulated – particularly under the thighs – and pale yellow. There are skin fringes between and along the long limbs, and a triangular skin extension at the heel. The webbing between fingers and toes is large and orange-red.
The vomer
ine teeth are arranged in two straight or slightly oblique series touching the inner front edge of the choana
e. The snout is rounded but not very wide, about as long as the diameter of the orbit
, the canthus rostralis is bluntly-angled, the loral region is concave. The nostril is located nearer to the end of the snout than to the eye. The interorbital space is broader than the upper eyelid. The eardrum
measures about 60-70% the diameter of the eye.
The disks of fingers and toes are large, about the size of the eardrum; the subarticular tubercles are well-developed also. The tibio
-tarsal
articulation reaches at least to the eye, at most top the nostril.
Like many moss frogs, they build foam nests above small pools of water, into which the tadpole
s drop down after hatching.
Moss frog
A moss frog belongs to either of two neobatrachian lineages, both found in sub-Saharan Africa and one also in Asia:* Arthroleptella, a genus of true frogs from southern Africa* Rhacophoridae, a family of the Old World Tropics...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
found 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...
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...
.
Behavior
The term "flying frogFlying frog
A "flying" frog is a frog that has the ability to glide. That is, it can descend at an angle of less than 45° relative to the horizontal. Arboreal frogs can also descend vertically, but only at angles greater than 45°, which is referred to as parachuting...
" refers to its ability to break their fall by stretching the webbing between their toes when making leaps down from the treetops. It can make gliding jumps of 9-12 meters, a maximum of about 115 times its length.
Description
This frog has a body length of about 10 cm (4 in), making it one of the largest moss frogs. Males are smaller than females. Its back skin is finely granulated and the color is vivid green without markings, distinguishing it from the otherwise quite similar R. pseudomalabaricusRhacophorus pseudomalabaricus
Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus is a species of frog in the Rhacophoridae family.It is endemic to India. It is a type of or the Parachuting frog which can descend aerially, but at angles sharper than 45 degrees....
which has a black-marbled back and was long included in the present species. In preserved specimens, the back turns purplish blue. The belly is more coarsely granulated – particularly under the thighs – and pale yellow. There are skin fringes between and along the long limbs, and a triangular skin extension at the heel. The webbing between fingers and toes is large and orange-red.
The vomer
Vomer
The vomer is one of the unpaired facial bones of the skull. It is located in the midsagittal line, and articulates with the sphenoid, the ethmoid, the left and right palatine bones, and the left and right maxillary bones.-Biology:...
ine teeth are arranged in two straight or slightly oblique series touching the inner front edge of the choana
Choana
Choana is the posterior nasal aperture.The choanae are separated by the vomer.- Boundaries :It is the opening between the nasal cavity and the nasopharynx....
e. The snout is rounded but not very wide, about as long as the diameter of the orbit
Orbit (anatomy)
In anatomy, the orbit is the cavity or socket of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated. "Orbit" can refer to the bony socket, or it can also be used to imply the contents...
, the canthus rostralis is bluntly-angled, the loral region is concave. The nostril is located nearer to the end of the snout than to the eye. The interorbital space is broader than the upper eyelid. The eardrum
Eardrum
The eardrum, or tympanic membrane, is a thin membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear in humans and other tetrapods. Its function is to transmit sound from the air to the ossicles inside the middle ear. The malleus bone bridges the gap between the eardrum and the other ossicles...
measures about 60-70% the diameter of the eye.
The disks of fingers and toes are large, about the size of the eardrum; the subarticular tubercles are well-developed also. The tibio
Tibia
The tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....
-tarsal
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...
articulation reaches at least to the eye, at most top the nostril.
Reproduction
Tadpole
A tadpole or polliwog is the wholly aquatic larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly that of a frog or toad.- Appellation :...
s drop down after hatching.
External links
- http://coorg.mampam.com/malabaricus.html
- http://www.new-ecopsychology.org/en/amphibia/index-ar.htm#Miraculous_Legs