Walkerana leptodactyla

species of amphibian

Boulenger's Indian frog, thin-limbed frog, long-toed frog, or slender-toed leaping frog (Walkerana leptodactyla) is a frog. It lives in India in the Western Ghat mountains.[2][3][1]

Walkerana leptodactyla
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Genus: Walkerana
Species:
W. leptodactyla
Binomial name
Walkerana leptodactyla
(Boulenger, 1882)
Synonyms[2]
  • Polypedates brevipalmatus Günther, 1876
  • Rana leptodactyla Boulenger, 1882
  • Rana (Discodeles) leptodactyla Boulenger, 1920
  • Indirana leptodactyla Laurent, 1986
  • Ranixalus leptodactylus Dubois, 1987
  • Indirana leptodactyla Dubois, 1987
  • Walkerana leptodactyla Dahanukar, Modak, Krutha, Nameer, Padhye, and Molur, 2016
  • Sallywalkerana leptodactyla Dahanukar, Modak, Krutha, Nameer, Padhye, and Molur, 2016

This frog only lives in forests. Some people have seen the frog near tea farms that are next to forests but not in the middle of the tea farms. It lives on the ground, where people have seen it in dead leaves. People have seen this frog between 1000 and 2310 meters above sea level.[1]

The frog lays eggs on wet rocks. This frog's tadpoles do not live in the water and instead move across wet rocks and moss using their tails and their back legs. Their back legs grow on them sooner than other tadpoles' back legs.[1]

Scientists believe this frog is in danger of dying out because it lives in a small place. At least four of the places the frog lives are protected parks: Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Anamalai Tiger Reserve, and Eravikulam National Park. Because it only lives in forests, and because human beings have cut down so many trees, frogs cannot travel from one piece of forest to another to meet each other. It is also in danger because people cut down forests to build farms. People also harm the frog by using shortcrete to stop landslides on roads. This is because the shortcrete covers the cracks in the rock where the frogs would lay eggs.[1]

Scientists have seen the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on this frog, but they do not know if it can kill the frog. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis causes the fungal disease chytridiomycosis.[1]

References

change
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2023). "Boulenger's Indian Frog: Walkerana leptodactyla". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2023: e.T58312A166101287. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T58312A166101287.en. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Frost, Darrel R. "Walkerana leptodactyla (Boulenger, 1882)". Amphibian Species of the World, an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  3. "Sallyalkerana leptodactyla: Slender-toed Leaping Frog". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved May 17, 2024.