Philautus ponmudi
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00466.x |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F5945F-FF9C-1E78-FCBD-FB04FCE8C33D |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Philautus ponmudi |
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PHILAUTUS PONMUDI View in CoL BIJU & BOSSUYT, 2005
( FIGS 2 View Figure 2 , 53B View Figure 53 , 54A, B; TABLE View Figure 54 2)
Type material: Holotype, BNHS 4257 View Materials , an adult male, SVL 35.9 mm, from Ponmudi , Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India; paratypes, BNHS 4258 View Materials and BNHS 4259 View Materials and BNHS 4588 View Materials (ex TBGRI 2002.0050 ), three adult males, from Ponmudi.
Other material studied: BNHS 4483 View Materials , an adult male, from Vagaman ; BNHS 4484 View Materials , an adult male, from Gavi ; BNHS 4574–4579 View Materials , six adult males, and BNHS 4580 View Materials , an adult female, from Kalpetta ( Table 2) .
Diagnosis: Philautus ponmudi can be distinguished from known congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) large adult snout–vent length; (2) rather robust body; (3) snout rounded in dorsal view; (4) protruding eyes; (5) tongue with lingual papilla; (6) posterior surface of shanks banded; (7) presence of prominent nuptial pad in male.
Philautus ponmudi can be easily differentiated from all of the reported Western Ghats species of this genus by the combination of its vermiculated posterior surface of the shanks, and by its large snout–vent length (this is the Philautus species with the largest snout–vent length from the Western Ghats). It could be confused with P. flaviventris and P. signatus because all of them have comparable size and papilla on the tongue. However, P. ponmudi differs from P. flaviventris by its larger male size, SVL 36.4 ± 1.9 mm, N = 12 (vs. SVL 29.8 mm, N = 1), sharp canthus rostralis (vs. rounded), toe webbing reaching almost up to the distal subarticular tubercle on both sides of toe IV (vs. toe webbing reaching only up to the penultimate subarticular tubercle on both sides of toe IV), presence of a prominent nuptial pad on finger I of the male (vs. nuptial pad absent), and differs from P. signatus by its larger male size, SVL 36.4 ± 1.9 mm, N = 12 (vs. 29.6 ± 2.8 mm, male, N = 8), rounded snout (vs. sharply pointed), sharp canthus rostralis (vs. rounded), and posterior surface of thighs light chocolate brown, vermiculated with grey patches of variable size (vs. flesh white or light-reddish brown).
Description of the holotype: A detailed description and illustrations were published in Biju & Bossuyt (2005c).
Variation: Measurements of 13 specimens including the type series are given in Table 2. BNHS 4257, dorsum light-greyish yellow to dark grey with minute black spots, rarely with a few scattered white blotches, a pair of brown concave stripes running from behind the eye to the vent, uniting at the middle in a light-brown colour, and forming an ‘X’ mark on the back, a light-brown inverted triangular marking between the eyes, extending up to the upper eyelids ( Fig. 54A View Figure 54 ), groin light grey with numerous darkbrown spots; hindlimbs light brown with dark-grey cross bands, posterior surface of thighs light chocolate brown, vermiculated with dark-grey patches of variable size, posterior surface of shanks banded (dark brown alternating with grey); BNHS 4588, ‘X’ mark on dorsum discontinuous; SDB 3453, dorsum uniform greyish brown without ‘X’ marking other than minute spikes throughout, lateral side light greyish white ( Fig. 54B View Figure 54 ). In all colour forms the iris is light-golden brown encircled by a light-greyish white ring ( Fig. 54A, B View Figure 54 ), posterior surface of thighs light chocolate brown, vermiculated with dark-grey patches of variable size in life, turns to light brown vermiculated with grey patches in preservation, posterior surface of shanks banded, dark brown alternating with grey in life, turns to light brown alternating with light grey in preservation.
Distribution and natural history: Gavi, Kalpetta, Mananthavady, Ponmudi, Sulthanbathery, Vagaman of Kerala, and Valparai in Tamil Nadu ( Fig. 53B View Figure 53 , Table 1). At Ponmudi and Valparai, this species was collected from between 8- and 15-m high in a tree from an evergreen forest patch. The population that was observed occasionally in Kalpetta was found about 2–4-m high on coffee plants near to forest fringes. The paratype TBGRI 2002.0050 ( Biju & Bossuyt, 2005c) was transferred to BNHS as BNHS 4588.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.