Indirana semipalmata facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Indirana semipalmata |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| An adult frog from Talakaveri shola grassland | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Ranixalidae |
| Genus: | Indirana |
| Species: |
I. semipalmata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Indirana semipalmata (Boulenger, 1882)
|
|
| Script error: The function "autoWithCaption" does not exist. | |
| Synonyms | |
|
|
Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".
The Indirana semipalmata is a special kind of frog that lives only in the Western Ghats mountains of southern India. These frogs are quite small, growing to about 36 mm (1.4 in) long from their nose to their bottom. They lay their eggs on wet rocks and tree bark during the rainy season, called the monsoons. What's really cool is that their tadpoles (baby frogs) live on land! They hatch, eat, and change into frogs without ever going into water.
Contents
About the Indirana semipalmata Frog
The Indirana semipalmata is a small frog, usually about 36 mm (1.4 in) long from its snout (nose) to its vent (bottom). Its snout is a bit flat, and it has clear ridges above its eyes. The space between its eyes is about as wide as its eyelids.
This frog's eardrum, called the tympanum, is the same size as its eye. It also has small teeth, called vomerine teeth, located on the roof of its mouth. Male Indirana semipalmata frogs do not have vocal sacs, which are usually used to make croaking sounds.
The first finger on their front legs is a bit longer than the second. They have small bumps, called tubercles, on the bottom of each joint of their fingers and toes. If you stretch their back legs forward, their ankle joint can reach their snout.
The skin on the back of the Indirana semipalmata has small, raised lines. Its belly, however, is smooth. These frogs are mostly brown. Their throat and chest are lighter in color and have a mottled (spotty) pattern. The sides of their head, near their eyes and temples, are black. They also have a dark stripe between their eyes. Their legs have dark stripes across them.
How This Frog Got Its Name
The Indirana semipalmata was first described by a zoologist named George Albert Boulenger in 1882. He first called it Rana semipalmata. We don't know the exact place where the first frog specimen was found, but it was recorded as "Malabar" in South India.
The name "semipalmata" comes from Latin and means "half palmed." This refers to its toes, which are half-webbed. Other frogs in the same group, like Indirana beddomii, have two-thirds of their toes webbed, while Indirana leptodactyla only has one-third webbed.
In 1986, another zoologist, Raymond Ferdinand Laurent, placed this frog and other similar frogs from India into their own group, or genus, called Indirana.
This frog doesn't have one common name that everyone uses. Sometimes people call it the "brown leaping frog," "small-handed frog," or "South Indian frog."
Where the Indirana semipalmata Lives
The Indirana semipalmata frog lives only in a specific area of the southern Western Ghats in India. This area is smaller than 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi). They can be found at different heights, from 200 and 1,100 m (660 and 3,610 ft) above sea level.
Scientists have found these frogs in at least ten different places. Some of these locations include Malabar, Pulloorampara, Kodaikanal, Idukki, Parambikulam, Kalakkad, Siruvani, Shringeri, Agumbe, and Kudremukh.
Life and Habits of the Indirana semipalmata
We don't know a lot about the daily life and habits of the Indirana semipalmata frog. They are land-dwelling creatures. You can usually find them on plants next to streams and rivers. They also live in swamps and among the fallen leaves on the ground in evergreen, semi-evergreen, and tropical rainforests.
These frogs lay their eggs on wet rocks and the bark of fallen trees during the monsoon (rainy) season. A study in 2010 found that their eggs were about 2.7 mm (0.11 in) wide. Each group of eggs, called a clutch, had about 343 eggs on average. Male frogs were seen near the egg clutches, probably guarding them.
Unlike most frogs, the tadpoles of Indirana semipalmata do not live in water. When they hatch, they stay on moist surfaces. They grow and change into frogs without ever going into a pond or any standing water. In the 2010 study, all the eggs and tadpoles were found at least 3 m (9.8 ft) away from the closest water. The eggs and tadpoles stay wet from dripping water off leaves and from rainfall.
The tadpoles have tails without fins and strong, hooked mouths. This helps them to hop along hard surfaces instead of swimming. Tadpoles that are partly grown can even leap using their back legs. Scientists have also seen these tadpoles eating the bark of trees, which is the first time any tadpole has been known to do this! They likely eat tiny living things, called plankton, that grow on the bark.
Scientists have found that the skin of this frog can make a special substance called urumin. This substance is a peptide that can fight against the influenza A virus. This discovery might help in developing new medicines to treat flu infections in people.
Protecting the Indirana semipalmata
The Indirana semipalmata is listed as "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). This means that its population is not currently in danger.
However, some things threaten these frogs. Their homes are being changed into farms, and activities like logging (cutting down trees), mining, and tourism can also harm them. Even with these threats, the frogs are still quite common where they live. The Indirana semipalmata is a protected species under the laws of India.
Scientists have also found a fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on these frogs. This fungus causes a disease called chytridiomycosis, which can be very harmful to frogs. However, scientists are still studying how much this fungus affects the Indirana semipalmata frogs.
