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Rediscovery of Pseudophilautus hypomelas (Günther, 1876) (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae) from the Peak Wilderness, Sri Lanka, a species thought to be extinct!

Authors:
  • Institute of Multimedia Education
  • Herpetological Foundation of SriLanka
  • Herpetological Foundation of Sri Lanka

Abstract and Figures

Pseudophilautus hypomelas (Günther, 1876), was previously known from the type collection of 14 specimens deposited in the Natural History Museum, London. There has been no record of this species since the original description by Günther in 1876, and subsequently this species was considered extinct. In recent explorations however, the species has been rediscovered from the Peak Wilderness, Central Hills of Sri Lanka, with a rediscription of the species from fresh collections.
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1,2,3,4
1 2 dulanrangavp@gmail.com, 3 
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


 

Pseudophilautus hypomelas 
   . Journal of Threatened Taxa; 

 ©

 

  

  
         
           







    


      


    
 


 Pseudophilautus hypomelas             
                  
                 

Pseudophilautus hypomelas
Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2013 | 5(17): 5181–5193
Rediscovery of an exnct amphibian from Sri Lanka Wickramasinghe et al.


 
Pseudophilautus. 
      
    

 
    
    
     
       
       
     
   Pseudophilautus 
     
 .      Adenomas
kandianus     
  Pseudophilautus stellatus  
 

Pseudophilautus hypomelas    
       
     

  
        
     
 
     
         
Ixalus hypomelas,  
 P. leucorhinus 

     Pseudophilautus
hypomelas   
      
       
        

        
    
        
Pseudophilautus hypomelas,     

        
    
        
      


       
 



        
  
 


      
       
     
       
 

    

          

      
      

 

     
       
       
      

      
       
       
 
       

    

      
 
      

    
         
     


Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2013 | 5(17): 5181–5193
Rediscovery of an exnct amphibian from Sri Lanka Wickramasinghe et al.


     P. hypomelas
        

    



      
      
       
  



        

      
Ixalus hypomela

        
    P. hypomelas  
0
800      

   

     
      Pseudophilautus
hypomelas.       
    




      
      
       
       
   
   0  0



      
          
  

        
        
      P. hypomelas can be
      

      
      

  
    


 


      
   
       
     

       
     
      

         
        
   

 

      


Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2013 | 5(17): 5181–5193
Rediscovery of an exnct amphibian from Sri Lanka Wickramasinghe et al.


Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2013 | 5(17): 5181–5193
Rediscovery of an exnct amphibian from Sri Lanka Wickramasinghe et al.

      
       
0        


   
       



        
       


       
      


  
     

        
     


       
II2+ 

         
    
      
       
      

       
      
       
         
          
     
       





  

  

       
       

      


      
   
       


     

  


 



2mm


Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2013 | 5(17): 5181–5193
Rediscovery of an exnct amphibian from Sri Lanka Wickramasinghe et al.
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
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
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








  
   





 0.3 0.2 0.0* 0.7 0.7   0.2 0.2–0.7
     7.2    
 4.2 3.8 4.3  4.4 3.7 4.2 0.3 
   0.0* 1.1 1.1 0.8 0.8 0.3 
   0.0* 1.0 1.0 0.7 0.8 0.2 
 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.4 3.2 2.4 3.0 0.3 2.4–3.4
  2.4  2.7 2.0 1.9 2.2 0.4 
 3.4 3.4 3.3 4.0 3.4 2.9 3.4 0.3 2.9–4.0
 11.3 11.2 11.4 9.8 10.0 8.3 10.3 1.1 8.3–11.4
 1.3 1.3 0.0*  1.7 1.3 1.4 0.2 1.3–1.7
    2.2 2.0 2.0 1.8 0.3 
 2.1*  0.0* 3.9 3.3 3.0 3.0 0.7 2.1–3.9
 1.9 1.7 0.0* 3.0  2.4 2.3  1.7–3.0
 10.9* 4.8* 11.8 14.2  12.0 12.7  
 10.2 8.7 9.2 9.2 8.2 7.2 8.8 0.9 7.2–10.2
 3.9 3.9 4.2  4.2  4.0 0.3 
 8.8  8.9 9.4 9.0 7.3 8.7 0.7 7.3–9.4
 7.1  7.4 8.3 7.7  7.2 0.7 
 0.8 0.8  1.3 1.1 1.1 0.9 0.3 
 2.4 2.1  2.1 2.1 1.8 2.2 0.2 
IO 3.7 3.3 3.1 3.0 2.8 2.4 3.0 0.4 2.4–3.7
  9.7 9.7 10.0 9.1 7.7  0.9 
 4.0* 4.8 0.0*   4.2 4.8 0.7 
 4.7 3.7 3.7 4.7 4.9 4.1 4.3  3.7–4.9
  2.4 2.8 3.7 3.8 2.9 3.1  2.4–3.8
  4.8      0.9 
 7.0   8.8 8.2 7.0 7.4 0.8 
 1.3     1.2 1.4 0.2 
  20.2 21.0 22.4 21.1 17.0 20.4 1.7 17.0–22.4
        0.0 
 7.7  7.8 7.0   7.1 0.7 
 11.9   11.2 10.7 9.0 11.0 0.9 9.0–11.9
 0.0* 0.0* 0.0*  1.7 1.2  0.2 1.2–1.7
 0.0* 0.0* 0.0* 1.9 1.7  1.7 0.2 
 0.0* 0.0* 0.0*   2.3  0.2 
 0.0* 0.0* 0.0*  4.7    
 0.0* 0.0* 0.0* 3.2 2.9 2.3 2.8 0.4 2.3–3.2
      4.8  0.4 
 3.8  3.9 3.9 3.9 3.1 3.7 0.3 3.1–3.9
 0.9 0.8 0.7 1.2 1.4 1.1 1.0 0.2 0.7–1.4
 0.7  0.8 1.1 1.2 0.9 0.9 0.2 
 3.8 3.8 3.4   3.0  0.3 3.0–3.8
 1.3 1.1 1.4 1.7 1.8 1.3 1.4 0.2 1.1–1.8
 9.1 9.9   8.8  8.9 1.2 

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2013 | 5(17): 5181–5193
Rediscovery of an exnct amphibian from Sri Lanka Wickramasinghe et al.


     



      
        



P. hypomelas     
        
       

         

        
 
F







Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2013 | 5(17): 5181–5193
Rediscovery of an exnct amphibian from Sri Lanka Wickramasinghe et al.


        
      
 
        

       

       
         
     


          
        
    
 II2+3    
     
       

P. hypomelas,    

 


  

       

P. hypomelas,
 
F
      


Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2013 | 5(17): 5181–5193
Rediscovery of an exnct amphibian from Sri Lanka Wickramasinghe et al.


    
P. hypomelas


        

         
  
 
        
       
        
      
 Ixalus hypomelas      

 

        
      

     
      

      2,
        2,
         
      
      
     


 

  P. hypomelas     


        
P. hypomelas due to
       


         

     
         
    
   Threatened Amphibians of the World.

           
  

Threatened Amphibians of the World







 



Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2013 | 5(17): 5181–5193
Rediscovery of an exnct amphibian from Sri Lanka Wickramasinghe et al.

The Amphibian Fauna
of Sri Lanka
 Biodiversity Baseline Survey: Peak Wilderness Sanctuary.
        

        
      




. The 2007 Naonal Red List of Threatened Fauna and
Flora of Sri Lanka
148pp.
          
  Annals
and Magazine of natural History 
     
     Journal of
Zoological Systemacs and Evoluonary Research
  The Amphibia of Ceylon



   Aquixalus, Chiromans, Rhacophorus
and Philautus. Molecular Phylogenecs and Evoluon


 
        
Molecular Phylogenecs and Evoluon
    
  
The Naonal Red List 2012
of Sri Lanka. Conservaon Status of the Fauna and Flora. 


        
Journal of South Asian Natural History 
       
    Philautus   
       The Rafels
Bullen of Zoology
       Pseudophilautus
hypomelas        


       
Philautus  The Raes Bullen of Zoology
338.
       
     Pseudophilautus 
Zootaxa 
      
 Philautus
Zootaxa
  

Zootaxa
  The Raes
Bullen of Zoology
 
   
Journal of Bombay Natural History Society
   Florisc survey of Adam’s peak
wilderness
          
 Threatened Amphibians of the World.


         
Zootaxa
     
   
      Pseudophilautus

      Journal
of Threatened Taxa   


      
        Zootaxa

      
         
        
      
Zootaxa
Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2013 | 5(17): 5181–5193
Rediscovery of an exnct amphibian from Sri Lanka Wickramasinghe et al.


Pseudophilautus abundus         
00
0000
Pseudophilautus adspersus  
Pseudophilautus alto       
00
Pseudophilautus asankai.
00
0000
Pseudophilautus auratus           
00
0000
Pseudophilautus bambaradeniyai 
2013. 
00
Pseudophilautus caeruleus           
00
00
Pseudophilautus cavirostris              
000
8000000
0000
00
Pseudophilautus cuspis   
00
Pseudophilautus dayawansai

00
Pseudophilautus decoris
 0
0800
Pseudophilautus femoralis  
00
Pseudophilautus fergusonianus        2233 
0000
00
0000
 00      0 
0800        0  0  
00
Pseudophilautus folicola
00
Pseudophilautus frankenbergi  
000
0
Pseudophilautus fulvus          
 0 0    0  0
00
Pseudophilautus hallidayi           
 0 0 0 
0810
Pseudophilautus halyi  00
Pseudophilautus homanni         
00
Pseudophilautus hoipolloi           
0000
000
0
Pseudophilautus hypomelas     

       

Pseudophilautus jagathgunawardanai        

00
Pseudophilautus karunarathnai       

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2013 | 5(17): 5181–5193
Rediscovery of an exnct amphibian from Sri Lanka Wickramasinghe et al.

00
Pseudophilautus limbus00
Pseudophilautus lunatus           
00
Pseudophilautus macropus       
     
(070000
00
Pseudophilautus maia    

Pseudophilautus microtympanum     
3437; 3438; 3439;   0  0   
00.
Pseudophilautus miermeieri  
0000
Pseudophilautus mooreorum          
0000
Pseudophilautus nanus  

Pseudophilautus nasutus  
Pseudophilautus nemus0
0
Pseudophilautus newtonjayawardanei        
. 00
Pseudophilautus ocularis           
0 0  
00
Pseudophilautus oxyrhynchus     Ixalus oxyrhynchus       

Pseudophilautus papillosus          
00
Pseudophilautus pardus 
Pseudophilautus pleurotaenia  
0000
Pseudophilautus poppiae
0 0     
00
Pseudophilautus procax
00
Pseudophilautus regius
00
Pseudophilautus reculates  
0000
 0  0  0 0  
 0 0   0 
80000
Pseudophilautus rus            
00
00
Pseudophilautus samarakoon .

00
Pseudophilautus sarasinorum 0
080000
Pseudophilautus schmarda 00
Pseudophilautus silus          
00
00
Pseudophilautus silvacus      
00
 0  0     0 
0800
Pseudophilautus simba 
00
Pseudophilautus sirilwijesundarai  
00
Pseudophilautus sordidus           
            0  0    
00  0 0 
Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2013 | 5(17): 5181–5193
Rediscovery of an exnct amphibian from Sri Lanka Wickramasinghe et al.

00
0000
00
Pseudophilautus steineri
00
Pseudophilautus sctomerus         0  0   
0000
00
Pseudophilautus stuar  
00
Pseudophilautus temporalis    

Pseudophilautus variabilis  
Pseudophilautus viridis
 00 
00
Pseudophilautus zal 
Pseudophilautus zorro  
0000
Ixalus hypomelas

Ixalus hypomelas.
   

 
    




               

   
      

 Gthr.  
         
          


         
   
           
           
   
          

  
        
        
         

       
            
        
  


  
   
    

        
           
   

... Of this, 65% of the diversity is threatened with extinction, while approximately 34% are categorized as critically endangered and 23% categorized as endangered species (Manamendra-Arachchi and Meegaskumbura, 2012). Unfortunately, 18 of the 119 species have already become extinct (Wickramasinghe et al., 2012(Wickramasinghe et al., , 2013a(Wickramasinghe et al., , 2013b. Thus, conservation measures are urgently necessary to stem the rate of amphibian population declines of many threatened species. ...
... Most importantly, the discovery of this critically endangered restricted range species of frog outside its previously known range highlights the importance of taxon specific biodiversity surveys of vertebrate groups in Sri Lanka. Hence, future surveys may even shed light on species that are considered to be extinct such as N. guentheri similar to the other studies that have rediscovered other species of amphibians that were thought to be extinct Wickramasinghe et al., 2012;Wickramasinghe et al., 2013aWickramasinghe et al., , 2013b. ...
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Nannophrys marmorata is a critically endangered species of frog known only from a few locations in the Knuckles Conservation Forest (KCF) in the Knuckles mountain range of Sri Lanka. Here, we report new localities outside its known range in the KCF and examine the distribution of N. marmorata providing the most extensive distribution map for this species. Furthermore, using the distribution information, we model the fundamental ecological niche of this species through Ecological Niche Modeling (ENM) to predict suitable habitats and fine-scale distribution patterns. ENM predicted eastern slopes of the Knuckles mountain range in central Sri Lanka as areas with high habitat suitability (suitability >75%) for N. marmorata. Predicted Extent of Occurrence for N. marmo-rata was 831 km 2 and predicted Area of Occupancy was 275 km 2. We discuss these findings in light of conservation for this species threatened with extinction.
... The global amphibian assessment in 2008 documented 19 Pseudophilautus species as extinct (Stuart et al. 2008). In later surveys, however, two of these, P. stellatus and P. hypomelas were rediscovered (Wickramasinghe et al. 2013a, Wickramasinghe et al. 2013c. ...
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Pseudophilautus pardus, was first described in 2007, based on a single specimen collected in Sri Lanka during the 19th century. Its absence in recent surveys suggested that the species was extinct. The distinctive spotted dorsal coloration, together with other morphological features, was used to distinguish it from congeners. In 2013, we discovered a specimen resembling the holotype of P. pardus in Samanala Strict Nature Reserve. A DNA analysis based on the 16S rRNA mt-DNA locus recovered a low uncorrected pairwise genetic distance of 0.77–0.96% between the recent example of ‘P. pardus’ and a congener, P. viridis. Molecular species delimitation methods suggest P. pardus and P. virids to be a single operational taxonomic unit. Morphological analyses using the freshly collected specimen, together with numerous photographic records show P. viridis to be a highly polychromatic species within which the coloration observed in P. pardus too occurs, though rarely. We conclude that P. pardus is a junior synonym of P. viridis.
... Sri Lanka is remarkably diverse in its amphibian fauna, with a high proportion of endemics and thus is an amphibian hotspot (Meegaskumbura et al. 2002;Manamendra-Arachchi and Pethiyagoda 2005). The island is home to 120 species, 105 (87%) of which are endemic (Batuwita et al. 2019a); however, 67% of Sri Lankan amphibians face extinction and 19 species are already extinct (IUCN 2020) though some species that were thought to be extinct have been rediscovered (Wickramasinghe et al. 2013). As in many parts of the world, habitat loss seems to be the major cause for the decline and extinction of amphibians in Sri Lanka (Pethiyagoda et al. 2006). ...
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Basic ecological information is of critical importance for the development of conservation strategies for endangered amphibian species. The Gannoruwa Shrub Frog (Pseudophilautus zorro) is an endangered endemic and a geographically restricted frog found in mid elevations of the central highlands of Sri Lanka whose ecology is little known. We assessed: (1) aspects of microhabitat associations; (2) the realized niche to identify potential areas of occupancy using Ecological Niche Modeling (ENM); and (3) estimated the Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area of Occupancy (AOO) of P. zorro with new locality data and predicted data. The results indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between leaf litter thickness and number of individuals of P. zorro in quadrats and a significant relationship between percentage of canopy cover and number of individuals of P. zorro in quadrats. Pseudophilautus zorro is more abundant in broad-leaf forests than pine forests. ENM predicted highly suitable areas (suitability > 80%) in the Kandy, Matale, and Kegalle districts in Sri Lanka. The EOO and AOO of P. zorro with new occurrence data was 558 km 2 and 9 km 2 , and with predicted data, 2,374 km 2 and 612 km 2 respectively, indicating an increase in EOO and AOO. The data on microhabitat preferences and predicted habitats will be invaluable to formulate in-situ and ex-situ conservation strategies for this species.
... Notably, several of these extinct frogs have been rediscovered in recent years. For example, the first frog to be rediscovered was Raorchestes travancoricus in India (Last seen (Ls): 1891 -Rediscovery (R): 2004) (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009 (Wickramasinghe et al., 2012(Wickramasinghe et al., , 2013a(Wickramasinghe et al., , 2013b. ...
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We report the rediscovery of a declared extinct frog, Craugastor escoces, at the edge of a protected forest in the Juan Castro Blanco National Park, Alajuela, Costa Rica. This species, which is endemic to Costa Rica, had not been observed since 1986. The rediscovery of this species comes after 30 years without being seen and 12 years of being declared extinct. The site where we found the species is located in the west of the central mountain region of Costa Rica, which is >15 km away from its known distribution. Our finding adds another species to the list of the few rediscovered frogs declared extinct. Knowing that C. escoces can still be found triggers the need for conservation strategies to help the species survive.
... Among 119 described species (101 living, aprox. 85%) of Sri Lankan amphibians, 103 (~86%) species are endemic to the island, most of which are restricted to the wet zone (>2,000 mm of annual average precipitation) (Wickramasinghe et al. 2013aWickramasinghe et al. , 2013bWickramasinghe et al. , © 2014Wickramasinghe et al. 2013c). Molecular phylogenetic analyses have suggested four endemic genera from Sri Lanka, namely: Adenomus, Nannophrys, Lankanectes and Taruga (Bossuyt et al. 2004, Meegaskumbura et al. 2010). ...
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Adenomus is an endemic genus of toads to Sri Lanka known from three species. Adenomus kandianus had been considered extinct until its recent rediscovery from the Peak Wilderness in 2012, after a lap of 136 years. Here we report the second existing population of Adenomus kandianus from lower part of the Pidurutalagala Forest Reserve, in central Sri Lanka. Detailed descriptions of male and female Adenomus kandianus along with the holotype are provided. Habitats around this forest area up to 1300 m elevation have been replaced rapidly by human encroachments primarily for tea plantations, cultivated lands and human settlements. Lower part of the Pidurutalagala Forest Reserve, which supports high faunal diversity, has long been under studied and requires further exploration.
... Among 119 described species (101 living, aprox. 85%) of Sri Lankan amphibians, 103 (~86%) species are endemic to the island, most of which are restricted to the wet zone (>2,000 mm of annual average precipitation) (Wickramasinghe et al. 2013aWickramasinghe et al. , 2013bWickramasinghe et al. , © 2014Wickramasinghe et al. 2013c). Molecular phylogenetic analyses have suggested four endemic genera from Sri Lanka, namely: Adenomus, Nannophrys, Lankanectes and Taruga (Bossuyt et al. 2004, Meegaskumbura et al. 2010). ...
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Adenomus is an endemic genus of toads to Sri Lanka known from three species. Adenomus kandianus had been considered extinct until its recent rediscovery from the Peak Wilderness in 2012, after a lap of 136 years. Here we report the second existing population of Adenomus kandianus from lower part of the Pidurutalagala Forest Reserve, in central Sri Lanka. Detailed descriptions of male and female Adenomus kandianus along with the holotype are provided. Habitats around this forest area up to 1300 m elevation have been replaced rapidly by human encroachments primarily for tea plantations, cultivated lands and human settlements. Lower part of the Pidurutalagala Forest Reserve, which supports high faunal diversity, has long been under studied and requires further exploration.
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The amphibian fauna of Sri Lanka comprises 120 species, including 107 (~90.0%) endemic species. They belong to five families: Bufonidae, Dicroglossidae, Ichthyophiidae, Microhylidae, and Rhacophoridae. Based on distribution, we recognized five zoogeographic zones for them, Central Hills, Dry Zone, Knuckles Range, Lowland Wet Zone, and Rakwana Hills. Fifty three species were reported from the Central Hills (48 endemics [90.6%] and 42 [79.2%] threatened species). 47 species were recorded from the Lowland Wet Zone, including 36 (76.6%) endemics and 28 (59.6%) threatened species. The Knuckles Range had 25 species, of which, 19 (76.0%) were endemics and 15 (60.0%) are threatened species. 19 species were reported from Dry Zone including seven endemics (36.8%) and four threatened species (21.1%). Out of 29 species, which inhabited in the Rakwana Hills, 26 were endemics (~89.7%) including 24 (82.8%) threatened species. Species diversity along the elevational gradient was also observed with the highest species richness in the mid-elevational localities. Family Ichthyophiidae can be considered as the least studied family. Recent rediscoveries and studies have helped to reduce the number of extinct species from 21 to 18. It is speculated that some of the other extinct species have to be rediscovered or probably were misidentified as other species. About 90% of Sri Lankan amphibians occur in the regions with the highest human populations where there are established agricultural lands. Loss of habitats, competition due to anthropogenic species and invasive species, pollution (cause for malformations, parasites, and other diseases), and climate change appear to be major threats.
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We describe a new Pseudophilautus species, P. conniffae sp. nov. from southern Sri Lanka. It was previously confused with Pseudophilautus rus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda). The new species differs from the latter by the combination of the following characters: fourth toe webbing to penultimate subarticular tubercle on inner and outer sides (vs. fourth toe webbing in between penultimate and anetpenultimate subarticular tubercles on inner and outer sides), presence of conical median lingual process (vs. absent), and black patches on the posterior flank, anterior and posterior edges of the thigh (vs. black patches on the anterior surface of the thigh). Pseudophilautus conniffae sp. nov. may be sympatric with P. limbus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda), which shares certain characters with the new species. The new species is, however, distinguished from P. limbus by the following characters: having supernumerary tubercles on manus (vs. lacking), absence of frontoparietal ridges (vs. presence), fourth toe webbing to penultimate subarticular tubercle on both sides (vs. fourth toe webbing between penultimate and anetpenultimate subarticular tubercle on both sides), third toe webbing to distal subarticular tubercle on both sides (vs. distal subarticular tubercle on outer side and below penultimate subarticular tubercle on inner side), and having the dorsum light brown with dark brown patches (vs. black and yellow variegated pattern on dorsum). The new species may be restricted to the southwestern wet zone of Sri Lanka. It is compared with all known Pseudophilautus species and also provided with a field key to identify it from those species that are sympatric with it or inhabit the southwestern wet zone.
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We describe a new Pseudophilautus species, P. conniffae sp. nov. from southern Sri Lanka. It was previously confused with Pseudophilautus rus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda). The new species differs from the latter by the combination of the following characters: fourth toe webbing to penultimate subarticular tubercle on inner and outer sides (vs. fourth toe webbing in between penultimate and anetpenultimate subarticular tubercles on inner and outer sides), presence of conical median lingual process (vs. absent), and black patches on the posterior flank, anterior and posterior edges of the thigh (vs. black patches on the anterior surface of the thigh). Pseudophilautus conniffae sp. nov. may be sympatric with P. limbus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda), which shares certain characters with the new species. The new species is, however, distinguished from P. limbus by the following characters: having supernumerary tubercles on manus (vs. lacking), absence of frontoparietal ridges (vs. presence), fourth toe webbing to penultimate subarticular tubercle on both sides (vs. fourth toe webbing between penultimate and anetpenultimate subarticular tubercle on both sides), third toe webbing to distal subarticular tubercle on both sides (vs. distal subarticular tubercle on outer side and below penultimate subarticular tubercle on inner side), and having the dorsum light brown with dark brown patches (vs. black and yellow variegated pattern on dorsum). The new species may be restricted to the southwestern wet zone of Sri Lanka. It is compared with all known Pseudophilautus species and also provided with a field key to identify it from those species that are sympatric with it or inhabit the southwestern wet zone.
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A new species of shrub frog Pseudophilautus dilmah is described from the Central Hills of Sri Lanka. This unique species is distinguished from all the other congeners from a combination of characters; snout rounded in lateral aspect, bluntly pointed in dorsal and ventral aspect, canthus rostralis rounded, vomerine teeth, lingual papilla and nuptial pads absent, dermal fringe distinct on inside of fingers III and IV, small blunt tubercles on metacarpal and ulnar folds, toes basally webbed, interorbital area smooth, upper eyelid prominent tubercles present, anterior and posterior dorsum without horny spinules but tubercles present, upper part of flank weakly granular, supratympanic fold distinct, prominent small calcar present at the distal end of the tibia, throat granular, chest and belly coarsely granular. Based on comparison of 16s rRNA gene we also show that the species is genetically distinct from other members of Pseudophilautus for which gene sequences are available. The high rate of deforestation and anthropogenic activities threaten this population in its natural habitat.
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Eight new species of Sri Lankan frogs of the genus Philautus are described (P. mooreorum, P. poppiae, P. hoffmanni, P. mittermeieri, P. frankenbergi, P. hallidayi, P. steineri and P. stuarti). The species are diagnosed on the basis of mitochondrial DNA sequence, morphological features and, in two cases, bioacoustics data. Six of the eight species are confined to high elevation cloud forest isolates on the three main mountain ranges of central Sri Lanka. Because of their limited geographic distribution and small extent of remaining habitat, these species are classified as Endangered under the IUCN Red List criteria. These descriptions bring the total number of Sri Lankan Philautus to 61 species, 44 of which are extant.
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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.
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An extensive survey of amphibians in Sri Lanka, a 65,000 km 2 continental island, has recently served to uncover ~100 new species of amphibians, mostly Oriental shrub-frogs of the endotrophic genus Philautus. Comparison of specimens acquired in the course of this survey with type and other historical collections have previously shown that 19 species have disappeared from the island. The final two extinct species, Philautus pardus and P. maia, known only from collections made in the island prior to 1876, are described herein as new. A contemporaneous account of the latter species reported that the female carried its clutch of eggs adhered to its belly, a behaviour which, if true, is unique in Anura. The remarkable extinction of anurans in Sri Lanka appears to be largely a result of the loss of c. 95 % of the island's perhumid forests. Sri Lanka's amphibian extinctions have been detectable only because of the baseline offered by specimens collected in the period 1850–1940 and preserved in overseas natural-history museums. Historical biodiversity collections in the world's natural history museums thus offer outstanding value as baselines for contemporary biodiversity conservation assessments.
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Eight new species of Pseudophilautus (Pseudophilautus bambaradeniyai, P. dayawansai, P. jagathgunawardanai, P. karunarathnai, P. newtonjayawardanei, P. puranappu, P. samarakoon, and P. sirilwijesundarai) were discovered as a result of a survey carried out to study the herpetofaunal diversity with the changes in elevation in the Sripada World Heritage Site (Peak Wilderness), Central Hills of Sri Lanka. Detailed descriptions of new species along with colour photographs and line drawings for each species are provided herein. The new species possess unique morphological characters and are well distinguishable from one another that could be easily identified in the field. The conservation status of all species described here, have been considered Critically Endangered, except for P. newtonjayawardanei, as all the new species are recorded from single locations, and their habitats are under severe threat.
Article
Two new species of Sri Lankan shrub frogs of the genus Pseudophilautus are described. These species are diagnosed from their congeners on the basis of morphology, morphometrics and mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Pseudophilautus schneideri, new species, is distinguished from all Sri Lankan Pseudophilautus by its small size (< 22.8 mm SVL), distinct tympanum and supratympanic fold, sharp canthal edges, granular throat, chest and belly, and absence or presence of a vomerine ridge. Pseudophilautus hankeni, new species, is distinguished by its diminutive size (< 21.9 mm SVL), distinct tympanum, rounded canthal edges, tuberculated outer edge of lower arm, tuberculated dermal fold on outer edge of foot, granular throat, chest and belly, and the absence of a vomerine ridge. Pseudophilautus schneideri inhabits shrubs in open areas of the low to mid-elevations of the island’s south-western ‘wet zone’ (rainfall > 2,000 mm•yr -1 ), including anthropogenic habitats, while P. hankeni is found on shrubs in the understorey of montane forests of the highest peaks (c. 1,200– 1,600 m elevation) of the Knuckles region. These descriptions bring the total number of valid species of Sri Lankan Pseudophilautus to 67, 48 of which are extant.
Holotype: BMNH 1947.2.27 Ceylon (Sri Lanka); WHT 731)
Pseudophilautus fergusonianus (Ahl, 1927). Holotype: BMNH 1947.2.27.61, Ceylon (Sri Lanka); WHT 731; 2233, Kumaradola, Monaragala, elevation 305m (06 0 53'N & 081 0 22'E); WHT 1012, Kitulhela (near Moragahapitiya), Monaragala, elevation 520m (07 0 20'N & 81 0 28'E); WHT 2400;
E) elevation 800m (06 0 56'N & 80 0 30'E); WHT 3366, Haycock (Hiniduma), elevation 660m (06 0 20'N & 80 0 18'E) Pseudophilautus rus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda Holotype: WHT 3474; Paratypes: WHT 3475
  • Gileemale Forest
Gileemale forest, elevation 150 m (06 0 45'N & 080 0 26'E); WHT 2520; 2521, Check Poleat Gap (near Norton Bridge), elevation 800m (06 0 56'N & 80 0 30'E); WHT 3366, Haycock (Hiniduma), elevation 660m (06 0 20'N & 80 0 18'E) Pseudophilautus rus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005). Holotype: WHT 3474; Paratypes: WHT 3475; 3476; WHT 3477, Kiribatkumbura (near Peradeniya), elevation 450m (07 0 16'N & 080 0 34'E); WHT 5437; 5439; 5436; WHT 5440; 5438; 5432; 5435; 5434, Pilimatalawa (near Peradeniya), elevation 658m (07 0 15'N & 080 0 34'E,).