Megophrys megacephala Mahony, Sengupta, Kamei, and Biju, 2011

Kharkongor, Ilona Jacinta, Saikia, Uttam, Khynriam, Dimos & Saikia, Bhaskar, 2023, Current status of faunal diversity of Siju Cave, South Garo Hills, Meghalaya, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 123 (3), pp. 283-303 : 289

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.26515/rzsi/v123/i3/2023/172670

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B987E3-B66A-F211-9615-E934FA01C2BF

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Megophrys megacephala Mahony, Sengupta, Kamei, and Biju, 2011
status

 

10. Megophrys megacephala Mahony, Sengupta, Kamei, and Biju, 2011 View in CoL [ Figure 8E View Figure 8 ]

2011. Megophrys megacephala Mahony, Sengupta, Kamei and Biju, Zootaxa , 3059: 37.

Material examined: 1 ex., INDIA: Meghalaya, South Garo Hills, inside Siju Cave (25° 21’ 3.528’’ N; 90° 41’ 0.168’’ E, 92 m asl), 22. iii.2018, Coll. Dr. Uttam Saikia & party, V GoogleMaps / A/ NERC/1501 .

Remark: A lone individual was spotted about 400m from the cave entrance. The frog was found in the main cave passage on the rocky wall near the stream of water flowing out from inside the cave. The collection spot was far away from the threshold zone of the cave and completely dark.

It is very untypical for megophrid frogs to take refuge in such a dark, resource-scarred cave habitat. However, Kemp and Chopra (1924) reported the presence of tadpoles of Megophrys sp. from inside Siju Cave, which could probably be the tadpoles of M. megacephala . This raises the possibility of this megophryid species adapting to the cave environment.

Nevertheless, this collection is the first report of this species from inside a cave, besides,extending its altitudinal range downward to 92 m asl from the previously known altitude of 145 m (type locality; Mahony et al., 2011).

V

Royal British Columbia Museum - Herbarium

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Amphibia

Order

Anura

Family

Megophryidae

Genus

Megophrys

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