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112 Accepted by M. Vences: 31 Dec. 2012; published: 5 Mar. 2013
ZOOTAXA
ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition)
ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition)
Copyright © 2013 Magnolia Press
Zootaxa 3620 (1): 112–128
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Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3620.1.5
http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C00DAF00-76D9-4555-BDDE-843877E66C4A
Lost and found: One of the world's most elusive amphibians, Pseudophilautus
stellatus (Kelaart 1853) rediscovered
L. J. MENDIS WICKRAMASINGHE1,3, DULAN RANGA VIDANAPATHIRANA1,
SAMEERA AIRYARATHNE1, GEHAN RAJEEV1, AMILA CHANAKA1, JENNIFER PASTORINI2,
GAYAN CHATHURANGA1 & NETHU WICKRAMASINGHE1
1Herpetological Foundation of Sri Lanka, 31/5, Alwis Town, Hendala, Wattala, Sri Lanka
2Centre for Conservation and Research, 35 Gunasekara Gardens, Nawala Road, Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka
3Corresponding author. E-mail:boiga2000@gmail.com
Abstract
Pseudophilautus stellatus (Kelaart 1853) has been rediscovered from the Peak Wilderness, Central Hills of Sri Lanka. The
species, till now known only from its lost holotype, was the first shrub frog described from Sri Lanka, and had not been
reported since then. It was thought to have become extinct for nearly 157 years, being the amphibian species "lost" for the
longest amount of time. Here we designate a neotype from the material collected at what we consider its type locality,
having considered characters of the lost holotype and provide a complete description. We have conducted a molecular phy-
logenetic analysis, on which basis the species is well differentiated from all other Pseudophilautus sequenced so far, and
placed in a clade together with P. femoralis, P. frankenbergi, P. mooreorum, and P. poppiae.
Key words: extinct amphibian, Peak Wilderness, Pseudophilautus, Pseudophilautus stellatus, rediscovery, Sri Lanka
Introduction
A global amphibian hotspot, the island of Sri Lanka (Meegaskumbura, et al. 2002) claims to have the highest
number of extinct amphibians, which numbers 20 species (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda 1998, 2005;
Manamendra-Arachchi et al. 2004; Pethiyagoda 2005; IUCN & MENR 2007; Meegaskumbura et al. 2007; Stuart
et al. 2008), after the recent rediscovery of Adenomas kandianus Günther (1872) (Wickramasinghe et al. 2012a), of
which 19 alone belong to the genus Pseudophilautus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda 2005;
Meegaskumbura et al. 2007). A total of 34 species have so far been declared as extinct globally (Stuart et al. 2008).
The sudden steep rise in the number of amphibian species known from Sri Lanka, within a very short period of
time, is due to the increased amount of surveys being carried out on the island (Manamendra-Arachchi &
Pethiyagoda 2005; Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi 2005).
Frogs of the family Rhacophoridae, consisting of 73 species belonging to three genera, Polypedates, Taruga,
and Pseudophilautus, form a large portion of Sri Lanka’s amphibian fauna (Wickramasinghe et. al. 2012b). Species
now included in the genus Pseudophilautus, were previously considered to belong to a Pan-Asian genus Philautus
but were found to constitute a separate clade based on molecular phylogenetic studies (Bossuyt & Dubois 2001;
Bossuyt et. al. 2004; Frost et. al. 2006; Yu et. al. 2009). Other studies also showed further species from Sri Lanka
and India to be separate clades, and these were therefore assigned to separate genera (Li et. al. 2009; Biju et al.
2010; Yu et al. 2010; Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi 2011).
Pseudophilautus stellatus was the first shrub frog described from the island of Sri Lanka (Kelaart 1853). After
not having been recorded for nearly 160 years, P. stellatus, known only from its now lost holotype (Bossuyt &
Dubois 2001; Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda 2005), was reported to have become extinct, despite
extensive field studies carried out over the past decade (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda 2005). The species
was first described by Kelaart in 1853, based on a single specimen and with a very vague description which
however mentioned several diagnostic features not observed in other Sri Lankan frogs. No living P. stellatus was
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SRI LANKAN EXTINCT AMPHIBIAN REDISCOVERED
documented by scientists from the country since then. This beautiful frog as mentioned by Kelaart, was found from
‘Newera-Ellia’ (Nuwara Eliya, Central Province).
In the original description, this species was placed by Kelaart under the genus Polypedates as Polypedates
stellata. Although Polypedates stellata was later considered to be a possible synonym of Philautus variablis
(Kirtisinghe 1957), its name was ignored by many authors in later publications, considering its unusually large size
and body colour. It was reassigned to Philautus and its specific name corrected to stellatus by Bossuyt & Dubois
(2001). These authors also mentioned that Kelaart may have placed this species under the genus Polypedates
considering the large sized disks of the species, and concluded by suggesting that a neotype for this species should
be designated from its type locality. Finally, after an extensive survey of amphibians on the island from 1994-2003,
its status was confirmed to be extinct (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda 2005), since not a single specimen
was recorded by them from approximately 350 locations (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda 2005).
Pethiyagoda and Manamendra-Arachchi further state that they were not able to record any specimen of the said
size range of 57 mm from Nuwara Eliya, and given that just 4.7 percent of former rainforests remain and a massive
extirpation of restricted-range species would likely have occurred, therefore concluding that the species although
extinct is a valid species. We here report on the rediscovery of Pseudophilautus stellatus during a survey of the
Peak Wilderness Sanctuary in the Central Province, Sri Lanka.
Materials and methods
Study area. Peak Wilderness (Figure 1) was designated a sanctuary on 25th October 1940 (Gazette Notification No.
8,675), having an area of about 55,300 acres (22,379 ha). According to the current management plan, the
geographical area of the sanctuary is about 24,000 ha, of which 21,175 ha comprises natural or semi-natural
vegetation; the rest is no longer forest and includes tea estate and village settlements (de Alwis et al. 2007). The
sanctuary lies in the centre of the western ridge of the Central Highlands, north-east of Ratnapura and straddling the
border of Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces. Its eastern boundary is contiguous with Horton Plains National
Park. Peak Wilderness occupies the escarpment that rises steeply from the lowlands to the south and west. Much of
the terrain is very rugged, with altitudes ranging from 50 m near Ratnapura to 2,238 m at Adam’s Peak (6° 48'
26.93" N, 80° 30' 03.06" E), Sri Lanka’s fourth highest peak (de Alwis et al. 2007).
A systematic survey was carried out over a two-year period, in order to document the amphibian diversity
across an elevation gradient (550 m to 2240 m), in the Sripada massif, Peak Wilderness (part of the Central Hills
World Heritage Site) of the Central province, of Sri Lanka. Surveys focused on terrain where not much light has
been shed by scientists, due to difficulty in accessing these sites owing to harsh weather conditions and tough trails.
Three frogs were collected and were stored in 70% ethanol, and tissue samples for molecular work were taken from
these specimens. Sex and maturity were determined by examining secondary sexual characters, or when absent, by
examining the gonads through a small lateral incision in the specimen.
The new material discussed in this paper is deposited in the National Museum Sri Lanka (NMSL) and at the
Giritale National Wildlife Research and Training Center, Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC).
A Mitutoyo digital vernier caliper was used to take 39 external measurements of each specimen to the nearest
0.1 mm. Nomenclature of external anatomy abbreviated in the text and external measurements taken are listed
alphabetically herein: breadth of disk of the third finger (DB), taken from anterior to posterior edge of circum-
marginal groove; distance between back of eyes (DBE), measured between posterior edge of eyes; distance
between front of eyes (DFE), measured between anterior edges of eyes; length of disk of the third finger (DL),
taken from anterior edge of circum-marginal groove to posterior edge of disk; width of disk of the third finger
(DW), measured across the inner and outer edges of circum-marginal groove; eye diameter (ED), horizontal
diameter of eye; eye to nostril distance (EN), measured between anterior most point of eye and middle of nostril;
eye to snout distance (ES), measured between anterior most point of eye and tip of snout; thigh (femur) length
(FEL), distance between vent and knee with both thigh and shank flexed; first finger length (FL-1), measured
between posterior margin of the most proximal subarticular tubercle or crease of articulation and the tip of first
finger; second finger length (FL-2), measured between posterior margin of the most proximal subarticular tubercle
or crease of articulation and the tip of second finger; third finger length (FL-3), measured between posterior margin
of the most proximal subarticular tubercle or crease of articulation and the tip of third finger; fourth finger length
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FIGURE 1. Current distribution map of Pseudophilautus stellatus (blue circle denotes the location of neotype).
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SRI LANKAN EXTINCT AMPHIBIAN REDISCOVERED
(FL-4), measured between posterior margin of the most proximal subarticular tubercle or crease of articulation and
the tip of fourth finger; foot length (FOL), distance between heel and tip of fourth toe with both foot and shank
flexed; groin to knee distance (GK), measured between groin and the tip of knee; head depth (HD), distance
between the apex of eye and the bottom of jaw; head length (HL), distance between angle of jaws and snout tip;
head width (HW), measured across angle of jaws; inner metatarsal tubercle length (IML), distance between the
anterior and posterior edges of the inner metatarsal tubercle; internarial distance (IN), least distance between the
inner margin of nares; interorbital width (IO), least distance between the upper margins of orbits; knee-angle length
(KT), distance from knee-angle to tibio-tarsal articulation; lower arm length (LAL), taken from elbow to posterior-
most margin of inner palmar tubercle; mandible-back of eye distance (MBE), distance between angle of jaws and
posterior-most point of eye; mandible-front of eye distance (MFE), taken as distance between angle of jaws and
anterior-most point of eye; mandible-nostril distance (MN), taken as distance between angle of jaws and middle of
nostril; hand length (HNL), taken from posterior-most margin of inner palmar tubercle to tip of disk of third finger;
snout-nostril distance (SN), taken as distances between middle of nostril and tip of snout; snout-vent length (SVL),
measured from tip of snout to vent; tarsal length (TAS), measured between the tibio-tarsal articulation and anterior
edge of inner metatarsal tubercle; tibia length (TBL), distance between knee and heel with both shank and foot
flexed; first toe length (TL-1), measured between posterior margin of the most proximal subarticular tubercle or
crease of articulation and the tip of first toe; second toe length (TL-2), measured between posterior margin of the
most proximal subarticular tubercle or crease of articulation and the tip of second toe; third toe length (TL-3),
measured between posterior margin of the most proximal subarticular tubercle or crease of articulation and the tip
of third toe; fourth toe length (TL-4), measured between posterior margin of the most proximal subarticular
tubercle or crease of articulation and the tip of fourth toe; fifth toe length (TL-5), measured between posterior
margin of the most proximal subarticular tubercle or crease of articulation and the tip of fifth toe; upper arm length
(UAW), distance between axilla and elbow; upper eyelid width (UEW), measured from bony edge of supraorbital
to outer edge of upper eyelid; vent to knee-angle length (VKL), distance measured from knee-angle to vent.
Geographical coordinates were determined from GPS readings (Garmin eTrex Gista) at the locality.
Molecular Methods. Whole cellular DNA was extracted from ethanol preserved muscle tissue of specimen
number DWC 2013.01.15 using QIAGEN DNeasy DNA extraction kit following the manufacturer’s guidelines.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplifications were carried out in 25 µl reactions targeting 12S and 16S
ribosomal regions using the primers 12S F- AAACTGGGATTAGATACCCCACTAT; 12S R-
CTTGGCTCGTAGTTCCCTGGCG (Goebel et al. 1999) and 16S F- CGCCTGTTTATCAAAAACAT, 16S R-
CCGGTCTGAACTCAGATCACGT (Palumbi et al. 1991) with Promega GoTaq DNA polymerase enzyme in an
BioRad 9600 thermal cycler. The standard PCR program consisted of an initial denaturing step of 3 minutes at
94˚C, 35-40 cycles of 1 minute at 94˚C, 1 minute at 45- 62˚C, and 1- 1.5 minutes at 72˚C , followed by a final
extension step of 6 minutes at 72˚C . PCR amplified products were cleaned using QIAGEN PCR product
purification kit according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. Cycle sequencing using BigDye Terminator v. 3.0
(Applied BioSystems) were ran in 8 µl reactions, followed by isopropanol – ethanol precipitation and bidirectional
sequencing on an ABI 310 automated DNA sequencer (Applied Bio Systems).
Additional sequences were obtained from GenBank (Appendix 1). Sequences were aligned by eye and using
CLUSTALX option of the software MEGA version 4 (Tamura et al. 2007). The aligned sequences were analyzed
using neighbor-joining and maximum parsimony methods with the computer program PAUP* 4.0b10 (Swofford
2002). Gaps were treated as missing data. For neighbor-joining analyses distance measures were employed using
corrections for nucleotide sequence data suggested by Kimura (1980). For parsimony and neighbor-joining
methods, bootstrap (BP) and jackknife (JK) analyses (Felsenstein 1985) of 2500 replicates were performed to
examine the relative support of each relationship in the resultant topologies.
Results
Pseudophilautus stellatus
Polypedates stellata Kelaart, 1853
Philautus variabilis (Günther 1859; Kirtisinghe 1957)
Philautus stellatus (Bossuyt & Dubois 2001; Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda 2005, 2006)
Pseudophilautus stellatus (Yu et al. 2010)
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Neotype. NMSL 2013.09.01 NH Adult male 55.3 mm SVL (Figure 2 & 3). Sripada World Heritage Site, (Peak
Wilderness), Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka (06° 48' 30.89" N 080° 29' 19.18" E). Alt.
1679 m (Figure 1). Collected by L. J. Mendis Wickramasinghe, Dulan Ranga Vidanapathirana & Sameera
Ariyarathne on November 22, 2009.
Others. DWC 2013.01.14, adult female, 48.9 mm SVL; DWC 3013.01.15, adult male, 39.6 mm SVL. Date,
locality and collectors same as neotype.
Diagnosis. Pseudophilautus stellatus is assigned to the genus Pseudophilautus as it was well nested within this
taxon in our molecular phylogenetic tree (Figure 4). Pseudophilautus stellatus can be distinguished from known
congeners by the following combination of characters: Body large size (SVL 55.3); snout rounded in lateral, dorsal
and ventral aspects; lingual papilla absent; vomerine teeth present; 3rd and 4th fingers with bifid distal subarticular
tubercles; tympanum indistinct; supratympanic fold absent.
FIGURE 2. Dorsolateral view of neotype.
Description of neotype. Body large size (SVL 55.3 mm); head large (HL/SVL 0.4), about as wide as long
(HW/HL 1.1), concave above; snout rounded in lateral, dorsal and ventral aspects (ES/DFE 0.8, SN/IN 0.7), its
length longer than horizontal diameter of eye (ES/ED 1.5); internasal space concave; canthus rostralis rounded,
loreal region concave; interorbital space concave, upper eyelid smaller than interorbital distance (IO/UEW 1.7);
internasal distance equal to upper eyelid width (IN/UEW 1.1); distance between front of eyes 2/3 the distance
between back of eyes (DBE/DFE 1.5); nostrils vertically elliptical without flap of skin laterally, closer to tip of
snout; pupil horizontally elliptical; tympanum indistinct; pineal ocellus and vomerine teeth present, small (Left=4,
Right=6), odontophores oblique and widely separated, between choanae with an angle of 500 relative to body axis;
tongue large, lanceolate, lingual papilla absent, and conical tubercles absent on tongue.
Arm short, robust and strong (LAL/FEL 0.5, UAL/FEL 0.4); forearm shorter than hand length (LAL/HNL
0.7), longer than upper arm (LAL/UAL 1.3); fore arm distinctly enlarged; fingers robust and strong, relative length
of fingers I < II < IV < III (FL-1/FL-3 0.5, FL-2/FL-3 0.6, FL-4/FL-3 0.9) (Table 1); tips of finger disks semi
circular, enlarged, discs present on all fingers, with distinct basal and circum marginal grooves; dermal fringe
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present on inside of all fingers, prominent dermal fringe present on exterior edge of finger IV and hand, and ulnar
fold; rudimentary webbing present on all fingers, webbing formula I2–2II2+–3+III2–2IV; distal subarticular
tubercles prominent, fingers I and II with rounded distal subarticular tubercles, but III and IV fingers with bifid
distal subarticular tubercles, comparatively larger distal subarticular tubercle on finger IV; inner palmar tubercle,
large, single, oval, prominent, larger than the distal subarticular tubercles; outer palmar tubercle present, but
indistinct; supernumerary tubercles present, but indistinct and widespread on palm and on all fingers; prepollex
absent (Figure 5A).
Femur 2 1/4 times longer than fourth toe length (FEL/TL-4 2.2); foot length longer than thigh (FOL/FEL 1.4);
toes strong, relative length of toes I < II < III <V <IV (TL-1/TL-4 0.4, TL-2/TL-4 0.5, TL-3/TL-4 0.8 (0.78), TL-5/
TL-4 0.8 (0.83), tips of toes rounded, enlarged, discs present on all toes with distinct basal and circum marginal
grooves; webbing formula I2+–2-II1+–2-III1–2IV1-–1+V; lateral dermal fringe on inside of all toes and prominent
undulating fringe on postaxial edge of toe V, metatarsal fold, and tarsal fold present but indistinct; tarsal fringe
present; distal subarticular tubercles prominent, rounded and single, all equal in size; penultimate subarticular
tubercles present on toes III, IV and V; supernumerary tubercles present, but indistinct, wide spread and
concentrated on foot and all toes; inner metatarsal tubercle oval prominent and large, its length 1/2 the length of toe
I (IML/TL-1 0.5); outer metatarsal tubercle absent (Figure 5B).
FIGURE 3. Front view of neotype.
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FIGURE 4. Neighbor-joining tree based on sequences of part of the mitochondrial 12S and 16S ribosomal genes with
bootstrap values obtained from neighbor-joining (higher nodes) and maximum parsimony analysis (lower nodes).
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SRI LANKAN EXTINCT AMPHIBIAN REDISCOVERED
TABLE 1. Morphometric measurements of neotype and other specimens of Pseudophilautus stellatus.
Characters Neotype male Female Male Mean SD Range
NMSL 2013.09.01 NH DWC 2013.01.14 DWC 2013.01.15
SVL 55.3 48.9 39.6 48.0 7.9 39.6—55.3
DB 2.2 1.6 1.4 1.7 0.4 1.4—2.2
DBE 18.9 18.3 14.7 17.3 2.3 14.7—18.9
DFE 12.0 11.6 8.9 10.8 1.7 8.9—12.0
DL 2.7 2.2 1.9 2.3 0.4 1.9—2.7
DW 3.9 3.4 3.0 3.4 0.4 3.0—3.9
ED 6.1 5.9 4.8 5.6 0.7 4.8—6.1
EN 5.5 5.4 4.1 5.0 0.8 4.1—5.5
ES 9.0 8.8 6.7 8.2 1.3 6.7—9.0
FEL 27.6 27.8 21.0 25.5 3.9 21.0—27.8
FL-1 5.2 4.9 3.6 4.6 0.9 3.6—5.2
FL-2 6.2 6.1 4.2 5.5 1.1 4.2—6.2
FL-3 10.4 9.5 8.4 9.4 1.0 8.4—10.4
FL-4 9.3 8.8 7.2 8.4 1.1 7.2—9.3
FOL 38.1 38.4 29.9 35.4 4.8 29.9—38.4
GK 23.5 23.0 15.9 20.8 4.2 15.9—23.5
HD 10.2 9.8 7.4 9.2 1.5 7.4—10.2
HL 22.0 21.4 15.9 19.8 3.3 15.9—22.0
HW 24.0 23.3 13.4 20.2 6.0 13.4—24.0
IML 2.5 2.3 1.3 2.0 0.6 1.3—2.5
IN 5.1 4.3 3.9 4.4 0.6 3.9—5.1
IO 7.6 6.9 5.6 6.7 1.1 5.6—7.6
KT 23.0 24.2 18.5 21.9 3.0 18.5—24.2
LAL 12.3 12.0 9.8 11.4 1.4 9.8—12.3
MBE 9.6 8.1 6.9 8.2 1.4 6.9—9.6
MFE 15.9 14.6 11.2 13.9 2.4 11.2—15.9
MN 19.9 18.8 14.0 17.6 3.1 14.0—19.9
HNL 16.7 15.6 12.1 14.8 2.4 12.1—16.7
SN 3.5 3.2 2.9 3.2 0.3 2.9—3.5
TAS 16.9 16.0 12.3 15.1 2.5 12.3—16.9
TBL 27.2 27.4 21.1 25.2 3.6 21.1—27.4
TL-1 5.0 4.8 3.5 4.4 0.8 3.5—5.0
TL-2 5.9 6.0 4.7 5.5 0.7 4.7—6.0
TL-3 9.6 9.5 7.2 8.8 1.3 7.2—9.6
TL-4 12.4 12.9 11.7 12.3 0.6 11.7—12.9
TL-5 10.3 9.6 8.4 9.4 1.0 8.4—10.3
UAL 9.7 8.4 6.6 8.3 1.6 6.6—9.7
UEW 4.5 4.6 3.5 4.2 0.6 3.5—4.6
VKL 22.6 23.3 18.5 21.4 2.6 18.5—23.3
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Skin on dorsal and lateral snout, head and entire dorsum weakly shagreened; upper flank shagreened to weakly
areolate; lower flank weakly areolate to granular; supratympanic fold absent; upper arm, forearm, and hand weakly
shagreened; inner thigh dorsally and outer thigh weakly shagreened; leg, tarsus and foot weakly shagreened; a
single prominent large blunt tubercle on heel.
Skin on ventral side of body: Throat and chest weakly granular; belly granular (Figure 6A); upper arm weakly
granular, forearm granular; thigh granular, leg smooth, tarsus weakly granular.
Colour in life. Body colour is bright green with intermittent pinkish white spots; dorsal part of head and
dorsum prominent pinkish white spots outlined in dark brown on bright green, intermittent with smaller blurred
dark brown blotches (Figure 2–3 & 6B); flank with transverse dark brown bands on white (Figure 6C); loreal and
tympanic regions and tympanum small brown blotching on bright green; forelimb prominent pinkish white spots
outlined in dark brown on bright green, as in dorsum, absent on upper arm; hind limb prominent pinkish white
spots outlined in dark brown on bright green (Figure 6D), posterior part of femur barred brown; throat, vocal sacs,
chest and belly all pinkish white.
Colour in alcohol. Colour of spots and strips faded a little from above, but the white spots remain, and the
overall green colour changes to a purplish brown.
The following combination of characters does not match any known Pseudophilautus species described from
the island to date. A fully grown female has the described size of 57 mm (=2 ¼’), but an adult male is
comparatively smaller with an SVL of 51 mm (= 2’), very broad fingers, large discs, body colours and patterns.
FIGURE 5. (A–B). Ventral side of Pseudophilautus stellatus neotype: A. left hand with large discs of a pinkish white
colouration; B. left foot with large discs.
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Molecular analysis. The aligned nucleotide sequences span a total of 938 base positions (bp). The analysed
dataset consists of parts of the 12S (380 bp) and 16S (558 bp) ribosomal RNA genes. Pseudophilautus stellatus
could not be sequenced for the last 32 bp of the aligned 12S fragment. The new mtDNA sequences generated for P.
stellatus have been deposited in GenBank (Accession Nos. JN862535 for 12S and JN862536 for 16S). The aligned
sequences yielded 490 constant and 379 parsimony-informative characters. The alignment included a total of 69
indels (37 for 12S and 32 for 16S). However, gaps were treated as missing data in MP and NJ analyses.
FIGURE 6. (A–D). Pseudophilautus stellatus, neotype: A. ventral side, belly area; B. dorsal skin colouration, showing bright
green with irregular white spots; C. flank, showing transverse darker bands; D. limbs, barred brown and spotted white.
The maximum parsimony (MP) heuristic search with all characters weighted equally resulted in six trees, 1784
steps in length with consistency indices of 0.373 and retention indices of 0.660. The distance matrices constructed
using Kimura 2-parameter corrections, and subsequently analysed by neighbor-joining methods, reconstructed the
tree shown in.
In maximum parsimony and neighbor-joining (NJ) analyses, phylogenetic relationships among clades and their
bootstrap (BP) supports are very similar. Arrangements among the 3 clades are strongly supported by BP analyses
(100%) using either MP or NJ searches. Clades containing individuals of one species have 93-100% BP support
(Figure 4).
In MP and NJ analyses, P. stellatus groups within the genus Pseudophilautus. The three species P. fe mora lis, P.
poppiae and P. m ooreoru m form a subclade with strong BP support (99% NJ/98% MP). Another well-supported
(98%/94%) subclade includes P. frankenbergi and an unknown species. P. stellatus is falling between those two
subclades (Figure 4). The sister-group relationship of P. stellatus with the femoralis-poppiae-mooreorum subclade
is only weakly supported with BP values of 50 and 55%. However, the grouping of all 6 Pseudophilautus species
gets 91% BP support in NJ and 68% in MP analyses. Regardless of the branching order, P. stellatus is clearly
different from the other five Pseudophilautus species in this clade, as the long branch in the phylogram nicely
illustrates (Figure 4).
Natural history. Typical habitat: These, unusually striking, nocturnal and slow moving amphibians were
observed in an area of about 2 km2 in the Peak Wilderness of the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka (Figure 1). They
were commonly found in the canopy of the cloud forest, 1-10 m above the forest floor, perched on large sized
leaves well camouflaged. The species was observed on misty/foggy days, and were found to be highly seasonal,
and very rare. On subsequent visits, 78 individuals were observed within an area which extends to the Ratnapura
District at elevations of 1540 m asl by the team within a period of four months, with no overlapping transects.
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Threats. Amongst the most important threats noted in this region, is the forest dieback phenomena (Figure
7A&B), possibly due to pollution and/or climate change, which has never been documented in this region before.
With decrease in the canopy cover, alien invasive species, such as Clusia rosea, and Pteribium revolutum, are
widely distributed in lower areas and is slowly spreading to higher elevations, which can potentially become a
threat in the future. The Peak Wilderness is now under severe anthropogenic pressure, because of its religious
importance, and is visited every year by a large number of pilgrims who pollute the environment there, especially
the streams. As a result, a large amount of garbage gets collected, and the natural forest gets overexploited. Illegal
gem mining on either sides of the riverbank within the forest has become another potential threat to the amphibian
diversity. Tea plantations in the surrounding areas are slowly expanding and illegal tree felling to cultivate tea, has
become a major threat in the area.
FIGURE 7. Forest die back in the Peak Wilderness area, habitat of Pseudophilautus stellatus.
Discussion
Molecular analysis. The phylogenetic position of the species was a matter of debate, purely hypothetical till date
because of the lack of any material. In the phylogenetic analyses, P. stellatus is nested within the genus
Pseudophilautus and falls between two well supported subclades, one consisting of P. f emor alis, P. poppiae and P.
mooreorum and the other including P. frankenbergi and an unknown species. P. stellatus is clearly different from
other Pseudophilautus species. The phylogenetic arrangement of the genus Philautus sister to a clade formed by
Pseudophilautus and Raorchestes is corresponding with earlier phylogenetic studies (Meegaskumbura &
Manamendra-Arachchi 2005, 2011; Meegaskumbura et al. 2009, 2012).
The description given by Kelaart (Appendix 2) although vague contains some vital diagnostic characters
important in identifying the species. P. stellatus was confirmed by the large oval body, the dorsum colour,
importantly the change in colouration of the specimens to a purplish brown on preservation, and by the seeming
type locality in the Peak Wilderness of the Nuwara Eliya district, precisely the same as mentioned by Kelaart.
Prior to its current rediscovery, P. stellatus has said to have been witnessed only by two others (Barbara Layard
and E. F. Kelaart), and is the only known extinct amphibian of the world without any type material, photographs or
drawings, for the longest period of time thus making it among the world’s most elusive amphibians. Due to the
vague original description and the loss of the original type material we cannot fully exclude the possibility that the
specimens on which we here report might represent a new, undescribed species rather than Pseudophilautus
stellatus. However, the encountered specimens agree with Kelaart’s description of P. stellatus most closely, and it is
therefore the taxonomically most parsimonious solution to consider this amphibian as P. stellatus as recommended
by Bossuyt & Dubois (2001), thus confirming its rediscovery.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge the Biodiversity Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment for funding and
collaborating the project, Mr. R. H. S. S. Samarathunga (Secretary-Ministry of Environment), Mr. Gamini Gamage
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(Additional Secretary-Policy Planning), Mr. K. A. I. De Silva (former Director Biodiversity), Mr. N. K. G. K.
Nannawaththa (Additional Secretary-Natural Resources), Mr. R. A. R. Roopasinghe (Additional Secretary-
Administrations), Mrs. Dakshini Perera, and Mrs. Hasula Wickramasinghe for all the support rendered. To the
Department of Wildlife Conservation for permission granted (Permit no. WL/3/3/354), the Director General Mr. R.
M. Rathnayake, and the Deputy Director Mr. S. R. B. Dissanayake (Research and Training) for all the support.
Staff of the Nallathanniya and Palabaddala Wildlife beets. Mr. Saman Gamage, Mr. Chaminda Pushpakumara, Mr.
Dilshan Maduranga de Silva, Mr. E. A. Thusitha Jayanath, Mr. Lankaputhra Wimaladharma, Mr. L. P. D. Wasantha
Kumara, Mr. Kovida Herath, Mr. Jagath Krishantha, Mr. Ruwan Chinthaka are thanked for their immense help in
the field, and late Dr. Amith Munindradasa fondly remembered for his support and encouragements. The authors
wish to acknowledge the contributions of Mr. Chamara Hettiarachchi, in preparing the location illustrations, to Mr.
Mahesh Chathuranga Silva, Mr. Charith Pubudu Lakmal and Mr. Lalith Senanayake for preparing images. The
authors wish to thank the Director National Museums of Sri Lanka, Dr. Nanda Wickramasinghe and staff members
(Assistant Director Mrs. Manori Nandasena and Mrs. Manaram de Silva), are gratefully acknowledged for their
assistance in museum reference work. Mr. Uditha Hettige, Mr. Sameera Suranjan Karunarathna, Mr. Sanjiv De
Silva provided valuable literature relevant for this work. We wish to thank Dr. Ruwan Illeperuma (Genetech
Molecular Diagnostics) for the assistance in the molecular work, Mr. Bhathiya Kekulandala and Mr. Jagath
Gunawardana for their valuable comments and the Nagao Natural Environment Foundation, for partly funding this
work. The authors also like to thank their colleagues at Herpetological Foundation of Sri Lanka (HFS), for various
courtesies. Finally to Dr. Simon Stuart, James Lewis and Dr. Robin Moore whose invaluable comments
undoubtedly improved the quality of the paper.
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Material examined
Pseudophilautus abundus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3006; Labugama Forest Reserve,
Labugama, alt. 78 m (06º51’ N, 080º10’ E); Paratypes: WHT 2302; 2303; 3457; 3459; 3494; 3496, Dediyagala Forest
Reserve, Akuressa, alt. 150 m (06º10’ N, 080º26’ E); WHT 1711; 3455; 3456; 3495, Kanneliya (Galle), alt. 150 m (06º15’
N, 080º20’ E).
Pseudophilautus alto (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 2721; Paratypes: WHT 2723; 2718;
2719; 2720; 2722; 2724; Horton Plains National Park, alt. 2135 m (06º46’ N, 080º47’ E).
Pseudophilautus asankai (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3507; Paratypes: WHT 3504; 3505;
3506; 5425, Agra Arboretum, Torrington Estate, near Agarapatana, alt. 1665 m (06º50’36” N, 80º40’40” E); WHT 2100,
Moray Estate, Rajamally, alt. 1370 m (06º48’ N, 80º31’ E); WHT 5472, Dayagama Estate, 3rd division, Dayagama, alt.
1830 m (06º50’ N, 80º40’ E).
Pseudophilautus auratus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 2356; Paratypes: WHT 2357; 2375;
2433; 2782, Morningside Forest Reserve (near Rakwana), alt. 1060 m (06º24’ N, 080º38’ E); WHT 3282, Handapan Ella
Plains (near Rakwana), alt. 1270 m (06º26’ N, 080º36’ E); WHT 3298, Sinharaja World Heritage Site (near Kudawa), alt.
513 m (06º25’ N, 080º25’ E).
Pseudophilautus caeruleus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 2514; Paratypes: WHT 2511;
2512; 2513, Bogawanthalawa–Balangoda road (near Udugama), alt. 810 m (06º44’ N, 80º41’ E); WHT 2101A; 2101B,
Moray Estate, Rajamally, alt. 1370 m (06º48’ N, 80º31’ E).
Pseudophilautus cavirostris (Günther, 1869). WHT 1294, Haycock (Hiniduma, Galle), alt. 660 m (06º20’ N, 80º18’ E); WHT
3299; 3300, Sinharaja World Heritage Site, Weddagala, alt. 513 m (06º25’ N, 80025’ E); WHT 3389, Kitulgala, alt. 200 m
(07º00’ N, 80º24’ E); WHT 2318; Kosmulla near Neluwa, alt. 450 m (06º23’ N, 80º23’ E); WHT 2046; 2425, Pathanegala
(Knuckles), alt. 1,000 m (07º33’ N, 80º44’ E); WHT 2045; Kadugannawa, alt. 450 m (07º15’ N, 80º30’ E); WHT 3483;
Pussellawe, alt. 986 m (07º00’ N, 080º54’ E).
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Pseudophilautus cuspis (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 1177(e); Paratypes: WHT 1177(a);
1177(b); 1177(c); 1177(d); 1177(f); 1177(g); 1177(h); 1177(i); 1177(j), Koskulana (near Panapola), alt. 460 m (06º25’ N,
080º27’ E).
Pseudophilautus decoris (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: mature female, 23.9 mm SVL, WHT 2358;
Paratypes: WHT 3194; 3257; 3258; 3265; 3266; 3267; 3268; 3269; 3271; 3270; 3272; Morningside Forest Reserve (near
Rakwana), alt. 1060 m (06º24’ N, 080º38’ E).
Pseudophilautus femoralis (Günther, 1864). WHT2701; 2702; 2703; 2704; 2705; 2706; 2707; 3540; 3537; 3538; 3539; 2478;
2479, 7 Jun. 1999, Horton Plains National Park, alt. 2135 m (06º46’ N, 80º47’ E).
Pseudophilautus fergusonianus (Ahl, 1927). WHT 731; 2233, Kumaradola, Monaragala, alt. 305m (06º53’N, 081º22’E); WHT
1012, Kitulhela (near Moragahapitiya), Monaragala, alt. 520m (07º20’ N, 81º28’ E); WHT 2400; 2401; Sera Ella (near
Pottotawela), Knuckles, alt. 460m (07º35’ N, 80º45’ E); WHT 2038; 2039; 2040, Puwakpitiya (near Laggala), Knuckles,
alt. 450m (07º34’ N, 80º45’ E); WHT 3360, Deniyaya, alt. 460m (06º21’ N, 080º34’ E); WHT 3361; 3362; 3363; 3364;
3365, Pitadeniya (near Watugala), alt. 320m (06º22’ N, 080º28’ E) WHT 3168; 3177; 3195, Gannoruwa Forest reserve,
Kandy, alt. 684m (07º17’ N, 080º35’ E); WHT 3178; 3179; 27; 3180; 3181; 3182, Puwakpitiya, Knuckles, alt. 414 m
(07º34’ N, 080º44’ E); WHT 3229, Hantana, Kandy, alt. 600 m (07º15’ N, 080º37’ E); WHT 3380; WHT 3381; NMSL
2006.64.1, Medapitiya, Wasgamuwa.
Pseudophilautus folicola (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: mature female, 29.4mm SVL, WHT 2645;
Paratypes: WHT 2646; 2647; 2649; 2650; 2651; 2652, Kottawa (Galle), alt. 60 m (06º06’ N, 080º20’ E).
Pseudophilautus frankenbergi (Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005). Holotype: WHT 2554; Paratypes: WHT
2551; 2552; 2555; 2556, Namunukula Peak, alt. 1980 m (06º56’ N, 081º07’ E); WHT 2726; 2727; 2728; Horton Plains
National Park, alt. 2135 m (06º46’ N, 081º07’ E).
Pseudophilautus fulvus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 2949; Paratypes: WHT 2948, Laggala
(Knuckles), alt. 1220 m (07º33’ N, 080º44’ E); WHT 3112; 3114; 3463, Moussakanda, Gammaduwa, Knuckles, alt. 915 m
(07º34’ N, 080º42’ E); WHT 3121; Puwakpitiya (near Laggala), Knuckles, alt. 450 m (07º34’ N, 080º45’ E).
Pseudophilautus hallidayi (Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3575; Paratypes; WHT 3573;
3576; 3577, Hanthana range, Kandy, alt. 510 to 800 m (07º15’ N, 080º34’ E); WHT 6072, Tonacombe Estate,
Namunukula, alt. 1320 m (06º52’ N, 081º07’ E).
Pseudophilautus hoffmanni (Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005). Holotype: WHT 6120; Paratypes: WHT 3222;
3223; 3542, Corbett’s Gap (Knuckles Hills), alt. 1245 m (07º22’ N, 80º51’ E).
Pseudophilautus hoipolloi (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 2673; Paratypes: WHT 2674; 2675,
Haycock (Hiniduma), alt. 660 m (06º20’ N, 080º18’ E); WHT 2405; 2406; 2407; 2408; 2409, Kahaduwatta (Galle), alt. 15
m (06º04’ N, 080º12’ E); WHT 3196; 3197; 3198; 3199; 3200, Udugama (Galle), alt. 30 m (06º14’ N, 080º20’ E); WHT
3201, Kodagoda (Galle), alt. 45 m (06º02’ N, 080º23’ E).
Pseudophilautus limbus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 2700; Haycock, alt. 560 m (06º20’ N,
080º18’ E).
Pseudophilautus lunatus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3283; Handapan Ella Plains, alt.
1270 m (06º26’ N, 080º36’ E).
Pseudophilautus macropus (Günther, 1869). WHT 3390; 3391; 3392; 3393; 3394; 3395; 3396; 3397; 3398; 3399; 3400; 3401;
3402; 3403; 3404; 3405; 3406, Mousakanda (Gammaduwa), Knuckles, alt. 760 m (07º34’ N, 80º42’ E); WHT 3183,
Divulgahapathana, Knuckles, alt. 603 m (07º33’ N, 80º43’ E); WHT 5900, Bambaraella, Knuckles, alt. 1260 m (07º24’ N,
80º47’ E).
Pseudophilautus microtympanum (Günther, 1859). WHT 2710; 2708; 2712; 2713; 3436; 3437; 3438; 3439; 3440; 3441; 3442;
3443; 3444; 3446, Horton Plains National Park, alt. 2135 m (06º46’ N, 80º47’ E); WHT 3260, Agra Arboretum, near
Agarapatana, alt. 1555 m (06º51’ N, 80º41’ E).
Pseudophilautus mittermeieri (Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3522; Paratypes: WHT
3523; 3524; 3525; 3526, Kottawa, Galle, alt. 60 m (06º’06’ N, 080º20’ E); WHT 2668, Beraliya forest, Elpitiya, alt. 150 m
(06º16’ N, 080º11’ E).
Pseudophilautus mooreorum (Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005). Holotype: WHT 5862; Paratypes: WHT
5868; 5869, Hunnasgiriya (Knuckles), alt. 1100 m (07º23’ N, 080º41’ E); WHT 2477; 3209; 6124, Corbett’s Gap
(Knuckles), 1245 m (07º22’ N, 080º51’ E).
Pseudophilautus nemus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 1319; Haycock (Hiniduma), alt. 660
m (06º20’ N, 080º18’ E).
Pseudophilautus ocularis (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 2360; Paratypes: WHT 3273; 2376;
2377; 2378, Morningside Forest Reserve (near Rakwana), alt. 1060 m (06º24’ N, 080º38’ E); WHT 3288; 3289; 3290;
3291; 3292; 3293, Handapan Ella Plains (near Suriyakanda), alt. 1270 m (06º26’ N, 080º36’ E).
Pseudophilautus papillosus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3284; Handapan Ella Plains (near
Rakwana), alt. 1270 m (06º26’ N, 080º36’ E).
Pseudophilautus pleurotaenia (Boulenger, 1904). WHT 3176; 5824; Gannoruwa Forest reserve, Kandy, alt. 684m (07º17’ N,
080º35’ E); WHT 5860; 5861; Nawalapitiya, alt. 700m (07º03’ N, 080º32’ E).
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Pseudophilautus poppiae (Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3285; Handapan Ella Plains
(near Suriyakanda), alt. 1270 m (06º26’ N, 080º36’ E); Paratypes: WHT 2030; 2029; 2475; 2778; 2781; 3533; 3534; 3535;
; 3536, Morningside (near Rakwana), alt. 1060 m (06º24’ N, 080º38’ E).
Pseudophilautus procax (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3279; Paratypes: WHT 2786; 2787;
3277; 3278; 3280; 3281, Morningside Forest Reserve (near Rakwana), alt. 1060 m (06º24’ N, 080º38’ E).
Pseudophilautus regius (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3122; Paratypes: WHT 5827; 5828;
5829, Angammadilla, Polonnaruwa, alt. 90 m (07º51’ N, 080º55’ E).
Pseudophilautus reticulatus (Günther, 1864). WHT 2286; 2287; 2290; 2291, Kosmulla (near Nelluwa), alt. 320 m (06º24’ N,
80º23’ E); WHT 2288; 2289, Dediyagala Forest Reserve, Akuressa, alt. 150 m (06º10’ N, 80º26’ E); WHT 2344, Yagirala,
alt. 30 m (06º22’ N, 80º10’ E); WHT 3230, Induruwa, (Ratnapura), alt. 150 m (06º45’ N, 80º26’ E); NMSL 2006.66.1;
Gileemale forest, alt. 150 m (06º45’ N, 080º26’ E); WHT 2520; 2521, Check Poleat Gap (near Norton Bridge), alt. 800 m
(06º56’ N, 80º30’ E); WHT 3366, Haycock (Hiniduma), alt. 660 m (06º20’ N, 80º18’ E)
Pseudophilautus rus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3474; Paratypes: WHT 3475; 3476;
WHT 3477, Kiribatkumbura (near Peradeniya), alt. 450 m (07º16’ N, 080º34’ E); WHT 5437; 5439; 5436; WHT 5440;
5438; 5432; 5435; 5434, Pilimatalawa (near Peradeniya), alt. 658 m (07º15’ N, 080º34’ E,).
Pseudophilautus sarasinorum (Müller, 1887). WHT 2480; 2481; 2482; 2483, Bogawanthalawa-Balangoda road, alt. 1300 m
(06º45’ N, 080º42’ E); WHT 2426; 2427; 2428; 2429, Corbett’s Gap, alt. 1000 m (07º22’ N, 080º50’ E).
Pseudophilautus schmarda (Kelaart, 1854). Neotype: WHT 3353; Horton Plains National Park, alt. 2135 m (06º46’ N, 80º47’
E).
Pseudophilautus silus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3453; Paratypes: WHT 3451; WHT
3452; WHT 3454; WHT 3460, Agra Arboretum, near Agarapatana, alt. 1555 m (06º51’ N, 080º41’ E); WHT 3412,
Tangamalai Sanctuary, near Haputale, alt. 1600 m (06º46’ N, 080º55’ E);
Pseudophilautus silvaticus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3295; Paratypes: WHT 3296,
3378; 3379; 3461; 3462, Handapan Ella Plains (near Suriyakanda), alt. 1270 m (06º26’ N, 080º36’ E); WHT 3275; WHT
3276, Morningside Forest Reserve (near Rakwana), alt. 1060 m (06º24’ N, 080º38’ E); WHT 3310; 3316, Sinharaja World
Heritage Site (near Kudawa), alt. 513 m (06º25’ N, 080º25’ E).
Pseudophilautus simba (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3464; Paratypes: WHT 3465; WHT
3466; WHT 3467, Morningside Forest Reserve (near Rakwana), alt. 1060 m (06º24’ N, 080º38’ E).
Pseudophilautus sordidus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 2379; Paratypes: WHT 2383; 2384;
2385; 2386; 2389; 2390; 2391; 2393; 2395; 2397; 2398, Kanneliya Forest Reserve (Galle), alt. 150 m (06º15’ N, 080º20’
E); WHT 2380; WHT 2381, Haycock (Hiniduma), alt. 660 m (06º20’ N, 080º18’ E); WHT 2382, Haycock (Hiniduma),
alt. 150 m (06º18’ N, 080º19’ E); 2387; WHT 2396, Millawa Forest Reserve (near Morawaka), alt. 150 m (06º17’ N,
080º28’ E); WHT 2988, Welikanna, Waga (near Labugama), alt. 78 m (06º51’ N, 080º09’ E); WHT 2998, Labugama
Forest Reserve, alt. 78 m (06º51’ N, 080º10’ E); WHT 3303; 3304; 3306, Sinharaja Forest Reserve (Halmandiya), alt. 513
m (06º25’ N, 080º25’ E); NMSL 2006.65.1. Denenakanda, Peak Wilderness.
Pseudophilautus steineri (Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3210; Paratypes: WHT 3519;
3521; 3520, 6116; 3518, Corbett’s Gap (Knuckles Hills), alt. 1245 m (07º22’ N, 080º51’ E).
Pseudophilautus stictomerus (Günther, 1876). WHT 1173; 2402, Kottawa (Galle), alt. 60 m (06º06’ N, 080º20’ E); WHT 2403;
2404, Kanneliya (Galle), alt. 150 m (06º15’ N, 080º20’ E); WHT 3301, Sinharaja Forest (near Kudawa), alt. 513 m (06º25’
N, 080º25’ E); WHT 3355; 3356; 3357; 3358; 3359, Kosmulla (near Nelluwa), alt. 320 m (06º24’ N, 080º23’ E).
Pseudophilautus stuarti (Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3208; Paratypes: WHT 3207;
3206; 3218, 3527, 357 Corbett’s Gap (Knuckles Hills), alt. 1245 m (07º22’ N, 080º 51’ E).
Pseudophilautus viridis (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 5127; Paratypes: WHT 3488; 3489;
5104; 5105; 5106; 5099; 5100; 5103; 5126, Agra Arboretum, near Agarapatana, alt. 1555 m (06º51’ N, 080º41’ E); WHT
2763; 2764; 2765; 2766; 2767; 2768, 4999, Ambewela (near radio station), alt 1830 m (06º53’ N, 080º 48’ E).
Pseudophilautus zorro (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3169; Paratypes: WHT 3175; 3204;
3205, Gannoruwa Forest Reserve, Kandy, alt. 684 m (07º17’ N, 080º35’ E); WHT 3508, Tiverton Estate (near Peradeniya),
alt. 450 m (07º16’ N, 080º34’ E).
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Zootaxa 3620 (1) © 2013 Magnolia Press · 127
SRI LANKAN EXTINCT AMPHIBIAN REDISCOVERED
APPENDIX 1.
GenBank accession numbers of the 12S and 16S mtDNA fragments used for the phylogenetic analyses.
Taxon Collection # 12S 16S
P. alto WHT2723 AY141781 AY141827
P. a sa nk ai WHT5107 FJ788141 FJ788160
P. a ur at us WHT2792 AY141789 AY141835
P. caeruleus WHT2511 AY141764 AY141810
P. cavirostris WHT3299 FJ788137 FJ788156
P. d ec or is WHT3271 FJ788144 FJ788163
P. femoralis 1WHT2566 AY141771 AY141817
P. femoralis 2WHT2772 AY141785 AY141831
P. frankenbergi 1WHT2552 AY141768 AY141814
P. frankenbergi 2WHT2555 AY141769 AY141815
P. hallidayi WHT11 AY141793 AY141839
P. hankeni WHT6302 GU593346 GU593348
P. hoffmanni WHT3223 FJ788142 FJ788161
P. hoipolloi WHT2675 AY141776 AY141822
P. limbus 1WHT2690 AY141777 AY141823
P. limbus 2 WHT2700 AY141779 AY141825
P. lunatus WHT3283 FJ788150 FJ788169
P. microtympanum WHT2558 AY141770 AY141816
P. mittermeieri WHTKAN2 FJ788143 FJ788162
P. m oo reor um WHT3209 FJ788134 FJ788153
P. ocularis WHT2887 FJ788145 FJ788164
P. papillosus WHT3284 FJ788151 FJ788170
P. pleurotaenia WHT3176 FJ788146 FJ788165
P. poppiae 1WHT5026 FJ788135 FJ788154
P. poppiae 2WHT2779 FJ788136 FJ788155
P. popularis WHT3191 FJ788149 FJ788168
P. procax WHT2786 AY141788 AY141834
P. sarasinorum 1WHT2481 AY141761 AY141807
P. cf.sarasinorum 2WHT2484 AY141762 AY141808
P. cf. sarasinorum 3WHT2489 AY141763 AY141809
P. sc hma rda WHT2715 AY141780 AY141826
P. s ch ne id eri 1WHT2667 AY141774 AY141820
P. s ch ne id eri 2WHT5831 GU593345 GU593347
P. s im ba 1WHT3221 FJ788148 FJ788167
P. s im ba 2WHT6004 GQ204740 GQ204679
P. s in gu WHT2658 AY141773 AY141819
P. s ord idu s 1WHT2699 AY141778 AY141824
P. cf. sordidus 2WHT12 AY141791 AY141837
P.cf. sordidus 3WHT15 AY141792 AY141838
P. steineri WHT3210 FJ788138 FJ788157
P. stellatus HFS01002 JN862535 JN862536
......continued on the next page
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128 · Zootaxa 3620 (1) © 2013 Magnolia Press
APPENDIX 2
Kelaart, E.F. (1853) Prodromus faunae zeylanicae; being contributions to the zoology of Ceylon. Published by the author,
Colombo, pp. 194.
POLYPEDATES STELLATA. n s. nobis.
Above bright green, with transverse darker bands, and irregularly spotted white. Limbs barred brown and spotted white.
Beneath pinkish white. Body oval. Total length about 2 ¼ inches.
Geographical distribution. Newera-Ellia, Ceylon.
We are indebted to Miss Barbara Layard for the only specimen of this beautiful frog found at Newera-Ellia. This frog, too
changes its green colour into a purplish brown, the transverse bands become brown, but the white spots are always present.
APPENDIX 1. (Continued)
Taxon Collection # 12S 16S
P. stuarti 1 WHT3207 FJ788139 FJ788158
P. stuarti 2WHT3208 FJ788140 FJ788159
P. t an u WHT6343 FJ788152 FJ788171
P. viridis 1WHT2627 AY141772 AY141818
P. viridis 2WHT2766 AY141784 AY141830
P. wynaadensis NA AY141796 AY141842
P. zorro WHT3175 FJ788147 FJ788166
P. sp. 1WHT2774 AY141786 AY141832
P. sp. 2A WHT2729 AY141782 AY141828
P. sp. 2B WHT2731 AY141783 AY141829
P. sp. 3WHT2525 AY141766 AY141812
P. sp. 4 WHT2669 AY141775 AY141821
P. sp. 5WHT2797 AY141790 AY141836
P. sp. 6A WHT2515 AY141765 AY141811
P. sp. 6B WHT2540 AY141767 AY141813
Raorchestescharius NA AY141840 AY141794
Raorchestessignatus NA AY141795 AY141841
Philautusaurifasciatus 1ZRC.1.5266 AY141804 AY141850
Philautusaurifasciatus 2ZRC.1.5267 AY141805 AY141851
Polypedatescruciger WHT2640 AY141799 AY141845
Polypedatesleucomystax ZRC.1.5269 AY141803 AY141849
Polypedatesmegacephalus NA NC 006408 NC 006408
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