02219nas a2200301 4500008004100000245013500041210006900176260001600245300001000261490000600271520130300277653001301580653002001593653002501613653002601638653001201664653001001676653002001686653002201706653001801728653001201746100002701758700002901785700002801814700001901842700002001861856003601881 2018 eng d00aReproduction and metamorphosis in the Myristica Swamp tree frog, Mercurana myristicapalustris (Anura: Rhacophoridae)0 aReproduction and metamorphosis in the iMyristicai Swamp tree fro cJan-01-2018 ae59340 v63 a

The reproductive biology of the Myristica Swamp tree frog (Mercurana myristicapalus- tris), a monotypic rhacophorid frog endemic to the foothills of the Western Ghats mountains of India, has remained unknown since the description of the genus and species. We monitored individuals from parental generation amplexus to the comple- tion of offspring generation tadpole metamorphosis. Surprisingly, our observations revealed that this species exhibits many previously unknown characteristics, including the first ever record of the female, and a diverse call repertoire, consisting of five different call types (the functions of which remain incompletely known). We were also able to determine that reproductive activity peaked during the late pre-monsoon season, that males engaged in intraspecific aggressive encounters to occupy and to defend desirable territories, and that oviposition took place in terrestrial nests made by females. Embryonic development in the unattended nest was followed by tadpole development, which concluded within 40 days. The specific breeding mode employed by Mercurana, which restricts its range to the endangered Myristica swamp ecosystem, likely renders it susceptible to multiple threats, which should be considered jointly in future conservation planning.

10aAmphibia10aAnimal Behavior10aConservation biology10aDevelopmental Biology10aecology10aIndia10aMyristica swamp10aReproductive mode10aRhacophoridae10azoology1 aAbraham, Robin, Kurian1 aMathew, Jobin, Kuruvilla1 aRaju, David, Valiaparam1 aRao, Ramprasad1 aZachariah, Anil uhttps://peerj.com/articles/593402910nas a2200265 4500008004100000022001400041245019000055210006900245260001600314300000800330490000900338520196500347653001502312653001702327653001002344653002502354653002402379653002902403653001602432653002202448653001802470100001702488700001602505856012302521 2017 eng d a1175-532600aDescription of four new species of Burrowing Frogs in the Fejervarya rufescens complex (Dicroglossidae) with notes on morphological affinities of Fejervarya species in the Western Ghats0 aDescription of four new species of Burrowing Frogs in the Fejerv cAug-06-2018 a4510 v42773 a

The Rufescent Burrowing Frog, Fejervarya rufescens, is thought to have a wide distribution across the Western Ghats in Peninsular India. This locally abundant but secretive species has a short breeding period, making it a challenging subject for field studies. We sampled 16 populations of frogs morphologically similar to F. rufescens in order to understand the variation among populations found across the Western Ghats. Our study shows significant morphological and genetic differences among the sampled populations, suggesting that F. ‘rufescens’ is a complex of several undescribed species. Using evidence from morphology and genetics, we confirm the presence of five distinct species in this group and formally describe four as new. The new species were delineated using a phylogeny based on three mitochondrial genes (16S, COI and Cytb) and a haplotype network of a nuclear gene (Rag1). Hereafter, the distribution of F. rufescens is restricted to the state of Karnataka and adjoining regions of northern Kerala. Three new species (Fejervarya kadar sp. nov., Fejervarya manoharani sp. nov. and Fejervarya neilcoxi sp. nov.) are from regions south of Palghat gap in the state of Kerala, and one (Fejervarya cepfi sp. nov.) from the northern Western Ghats state of Maharashtra. These findings indicate that Fejervarya frogs of the Western Ghats are more diverse than currently known. Our results will also have implications on the conservation status of F. rufescens, which was previously categorized as Least Concern based on its presumed wide geographical distribution. Furthermore, in order to facilitate a better taxonomic understanding of this region’s fejervaryan frogs, we divide all the known Fejarvarya species of the Western Ghats into four major groups—Fejervarya nilagirica group, Fejervarya rufescens group, Fejervarya sahyadris group and Fejervarya syhadrensis group, based on their morphological affinities.

10aamphibians10abioacoustics10aIndia10aintegrative taxonomy10amolecular phylogeny10amulti-gene DNA barcoding10anew species10aspecies diversity10aWestern Ghats1 aGarg, Sonali1 aBiju, S. D. uhttps://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4277.4https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4277.4.1