Raorchestes marki

Mark's bushfrog
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Rhacophoridae
Genus: Raorchestes
Species:
R. marki
Binomial name
Raorchestes marki
(Biju and Bossuyt, 2009)
Synonyms
  • Philautus marki Biju and Bossuyt, 2009
  • Pseudophilautus marki (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009)

The Mark's bushfrog (Raorchestes marki) is a critically endangered frog found only in the Nelliampathi Hills within the Western Ghats of Kerala, India.[1][2] The species is named after Mark Wilkinson of the Natural History Museum, London.[3]

Raorchestes marki are small, slender-bodied frogs. Males measure 21–23 mm (0.83–0.91 in) in snout–vent length and females 28–30 mm (1.1–1.2 in). The dorsum is dark grey and has a brownish concave stripe running from behind the eye.[3]

Like other frogs in Raorchestes, this frog breeds through direct development with no free-swimming tadpole stage.[1]

This frog is classified as critically endangered because its small range is subject to ongoing degradation associated with agriculture, tourism infrastructure, and industrialization.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2011). "Raorchestes marki". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T186165A8503582. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T186165A8503582.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Raorchestes marki (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  3. ^ a b Biju, S. D.; Bossuyt, F. (2009). "Systematics and phylogeny of Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Anura, Rhacophoridae) in the Western Ghats of India, with descriptions of 12 new species". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 155 (2): 374–444. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00466.x.
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