Discovery of a new species of Euphlyctis (Anura: Dicroglossidae) from the western coastal plains of peninsular India

• Published in: Zootaxa Vol. 5100; no. 3; p. 419
• Main Authors: Dinesh, K P, Channakeshavamurthy, B H, Deepak, P, Shabnam, A, Ghosh, Avrajjal, Deuti, Kaushik
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Zealand 21.02.2022
• Subjects: Animals; Anura; India; Lepidoptera; India
• ISSN: 1175-5334
• DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5100.3.6

The aquatic frog genus Euphlyctis is now considered under two separate genera- Euphlyctis Fitzinger and Phrynoderma Fitzinger, with four valid species in each genus, respectively. The current distribution range of the genus Phrynoderma is restricted to peninsular India and Bangladesh, with a probability of availability in Sri Lanka. The genus Euphlyctis has a wide range of distribution from the Arabian Peninsula and the South Asian countries, with a few historical descriptions treated as junior synonyms of the species Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis in India. A new species of skittering frog, Euphlyctis jaladhara sp. nov. is described here from the surroundings of the Thattekad Bird Sanctuary of Kerala, India, which has a predominant distribution in the western coastal plains of peninsular India and some parts of the Western Ghats. The new species has distinct morphological characters and a high genetic distance that distinguishes it from the sympatric species. Discussions are made concerning the validity of the species E. ghoshi and E. kalasgramensis.