Description
Polypedates longinasus is a medium sized treefrog with a size of 41-47 mm (male) and 57-60 mm (female). The colour in life is dark brown to reddish brown with a red band from tip of the snout to middle of the flank. The lips are white to yellow. The limbs are brown and cross barred. For the exact description consult Dutta and Manamendra-Arachchi (1996).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Sri Lanka

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Sri Lanka. P. longinasus can be found in remaining rainforest of the western and central part of Sri Lanka. There are only a very few rainforests left in Sri Lanka and this species surely had a wider distribution before the time of colonization.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
P. longinasus lives in the higher parts of the trees and can be found while mating near stagnant water pools during the rainy seasons. These pools are small (a few litres water) and located next to fast running streams inside forests. A description of the tadpoles was given by Fernando and Dayawansa (1995), who raised the larvae in an aquarium. The number of eggs per clutch (foam nest) is 28 to 42. Tadpoles left the foam nest after three to four days at stage 21 and with a size of 9 to 13 mm. Metamorphosis takes place after 10 weeks. This frog is an effective jumper.

Trends and Threats
Habitat alteration is the most important threat for this species. Fortunately some parts of the distribution are located in protected areas such as Kitulgala, Kanneliya Forest and Sinharaja MAB Reserve.

Relation to Humans
This species has never been collected for the pet trade.

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

Habitat modification from deforestation, or logging related activities
Habitat fragmentation

Comments
A new species quite similar to P. longinasus was described by Manamendra-Arachchi and Pethiyagoda (2001): Polypedates fastigo. This species looks very similar to P. longinasus and is only known from a small area in the eastern part of Sinharaja MAB (Morningside). Further genetic investigation would be desirable to determine the validity of this separate species.

References

Dutta, S.K. and Manamendra-Arachchi, K. (1996). The Amphibian Fauna of Sri Lanka. Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Fernando, P. and Dayawansa, N. (1995). ''Description of the larval stages and notes on the reproduction of Polypedates longinasus (Ahl, 1927) (Amphibia, Rhacophoridae).'' Journal of South Asian Natural History, 1(2), 235-240.

Manamendra-Arachchi, K. and Pethiyagoda, R. (2001). ''Polypedates fastigo, a new tree frog (Ranidae: Rhacophoridae) from Sri Lanka.'' Journal of South Asian Natural History, Colombo, 5(2), 191-199.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2010 Taruga longinasus: Sharp-snout saddled tree frog <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/4480> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 22, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 22 Nov 2024.

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