Pseudophilautus stellatus
| family: Rhacophoridae subfamily: Rhacophorinae |
Taxonomic Notes: Recently rediscovered and affirmed as a distinct taxon by Wickramasinghe and colleagues (Zootaxa 3620:112-128). Its status should be changed from Extinct to Critically Endangered. |
![]() © 2013 L. J. Mendis Wickramasinghe (1 of 2) |
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Description Distribution and Habitat Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Sri Lanka
Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors Trends and Threats Possible reasons for amphibian decline General habitat alteration and loss Comments Bossuyt and Dubois (2001) also suggested that since many new Sri Lankan species of Kirtixalus remain to be described, the name Pseudophilautus stellatus should be used to describe another species from the Nuwara Eliya area, with characters matching those of Kelaart's (1853) description, and that a neotype be collected. Since the holotype cannot be found, Manamendra and Pethiyagoda (2005) have instead put forward that Pseudophilautus stellatus should be considered a valid, extinct species, and that another name be used for any similar species. In 2013, L.J. Mendis Wickramasinghe and colleagues announced its rediscovery nearly 160 years later; these striking individuals were found in inaccessible, high elevation cloud forests in the Peak Wilderness of Sripada World Heritage Site. Despite being found in a protected area, the area is suffering from forest dieback, expanding tea plantations, illegal mining and the expansion of invasive species, so it continued survival is not assured. The study recommends listing the species as "Critically Endangered" (Wickramasinghe et al 2013).
References
Bossuyt, F., and Dubois, A. (2001). ''A review of the frog genus Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae, Rhacophorinae).'' Zeylanica, 6, 1-112. Kelaart, E. F. (1853). Prodromus Faunae Zeylanicae: being Contributions to the Zoology of Ceylon. Self-published by E. F. Kelaart, Colombo. Manamendra-Arachchi, K., and Pethiyagoda, R. (2005). ''The Sri Lankan shrub-frogs of the genus Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Ranidae: Rhacophorinae), with description of 27 new species.'' Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement 12, 163-303. Stuart, S., Hoffmann, M., Chanson, J., Cox, N., Berridge, R., Ramani, P., Young, B. (eds) (2008). Threatened Amphibians of the World. Lynx Edicions, IUCN, and Conservation International, Barcelona, Spain; Gland, Switzerland; and Arlington, Virginia, USA. Wickramasinghe, L. J. M., Vidanapathirana, D.R., Airyarathne, S., Rajeev, G., Chanaka, A., Pastorini, J., Chathuranga, G., And Wickramasinghe, N. (2013). ''Lost and found: One of the world's most elusive amphibians, Pseudophilautus stellatus (Kelaart 1853) rediscovered.'' Zootaxa, 3620(1), 112-128. Written by Krystal Gong (mskgong AT sfsu.edu), SFSU First submitted 2009-04-13 Edited by Updated by Michelle S. Koo, Kellie Whittaker (2013-03-08) Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2013 Pseudophilautus stellatus <http://amphibiaweb.org/species/6077> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Feb 25, 2021.
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Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2021. <http://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 25 Feb 2021. AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use. |