Rhacophorus malabaricus
4965191
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2008-07-15T13:55:30Z
Dysmorodrepanis
303688
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{{Taxobox
| name = Malabar Flying Frog
| image = Rhacophorus malabaricus.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| status = LC
| status_system = iucn3.1
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordata]]
| subphylum = [[Vertebrata]]
| classis = [[Amphibia]]
| subclassis = [[Lissamphibia]]
| ordo = [[Anura]]
| subordo = [[Neobatrachia]]
| familia = [[Rhacophoridae]]
| subfamilia = [[Rhacophorinae]]
| genus = ''[[Rhacophorus]]''
| species = '''''R. malabaricus'''''
| binomial = ''Rhacophorus malabaricus''
| binomial_authority = [[Thomas C. Jerdon|Jerdon]], 1870
}}
The '''Malabar Flying Frog''' ('''''Rhacophorus malabaricus''''') is a [[moss frog]] [[species]] found in the [[Western Ghats]] of [[India]]. The term "[[flying frog]]" refers to its ability to break their fall by stretching the webbing between their toes when making leaps down from the treetops. It can make gliding jumps of 9-12 meters, a maximum of about 115 times its length.
[[Image:Rhacophorus amplexus.jpg|thumb|left|Malabar Flying Frogs in [[amplexus]]. Note much smaller male on top.]]
This frog has a body length of about 10 cm (4 in), making it one of the largest moss frogs. Males are smaller than females. Its back skin is finely granulated and the color is vivid green without markings, distinguishing it from the otherwise quite similar ''[[Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus|R. pseudomalabaricus]]'' which has a black-marbled back and was long included in the present species<ref>E.g. by Boulenger (1890)</ref>. In preserved specimens, the back turns purplish blue. The belly is more coarsely granulated – particularly under the thighs – and pale yellow. There are skin fringes between and along the long limbs, and a triangular skin extension at the heel. The webbing between fingers and toes is large and orange-red.<ref>Boulenger (1890), Bordoloi ''et al.'' (2007)</ref>
The [[vomer]]ine teeth are arranged in two straight or slightly oblique series touching the inner front edge of the [[choana]]e. The snout is rounded but not very wide, about as long as the diameter of the [[Orbit (anatomy)|orbit]], the ''[[canthus rostralis]]'' is bluntly-angled, the loral region is concave. The nostril is located nearer to the end of the snout than to the eye. The interorbital space is broader than the upper eyelid. The [[eardrum]] measures about 60-70% the diameter of the eye.<ref name=Boulenger>Boulenger (1890)</ref>
The disks of fingers and toes are large, about the size of the eardrum; the subarticular tubercles are well-developed also. The [[tibia|tibio]]-[[Tarsus (skeleton)|tarsal]] articulation reaches at least to the eye, at most top the nostril.<ref name=Boulenger/>
Like many moss frogs, they build foam nests above small pools of water, into which the [[tadpole]]s drop down after hatching.<ref>Kadadevaru & Kanamadi (2000)</ref>
==See also==
*[[Flying frog]]
==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}
==References==
* {{IUCN2006|assessors={{aut|Biju, S.D.; Dutta, S.; Vasudevan, K.; Srinivasulu, C. & Vijayakumar, S.P.}}|year=2004|id=59001|title=Rhacophorus malabaricus|downloaded=12 May 2006}}
* {{aut|Bordoloi, Sabitry; Bortamuli, Tutul & Ohler, Annemarie}} (2007): Systematics of the genus ''Rhacophorus'' (Amphibia, Anura): identity of red-webbed forms and description of a new species from Assam. ''[[Zootaxa]]'' '''1653''': 1–20. [http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2007f/z01653p020f.pdf PDF abstract and first page]
* {{aut|[[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger, George Albert]]}} (1890): 56. ''Rhacophorus malabaricus''. ''In: Fauna of British India - Reptilia and Batrachia'': 473. Taylor & Francis, London. [http://www.archive.org/stream/TheFaunaOfBritishIndiaReptiliaAndBatrachia/TheFaunaOfBritishIndiaReptiliaAndBatrachia.djvu DjVu fulltext]
* {{aut|Kadadevaru, Girish G. & Kanamadi, Ravishankar D.}} (2000): Courtship and nesting behaviour of the Malabar gliding frog, ''Rhacophorus malabaricus'' (Jerdon, 1870). ''[[Current Science|Curr. Sci.]]'' '''79'''(3): 377-380 [http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/aug102000/rc208.pdf PDF fulltext]
==External links==
* http://mampam.50megs.com/coorg/pages/malabaricus_jpg.htm
* http://www.new-ecopsychology.org/en/amphibia/index-ar.htm#Miraculous_Legs
{{Rhacophoridae-stub}}
[[Category:Rhacophoridae]]
[[ca:Rhacophorus malabaricus]]
[[ml:ഇളിത്തേമ്പന് തവള]]