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 | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific 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 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 edit
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Raorchestes kaikatti (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009)". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
External links edit
Data related to Raorchestes kaikatti at Wikispecies
