Taruga eques
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Rhacophoridae
Genus: Taruga
Species:
T. eques
Binomial name
Taruga eques
(Günther, 1858)
Synonyms[2]

Polypedates eques Günther, 1858
Rhacophorus eques (Günther, 1858)
Rhacophorus cruciger eques (Günther, 1858)

Taruga eques (common names: Günther's whipping frog, montane hour-glass tree-frog) is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to the central hills of Sri Lanka.[1][2][3]

Description

Adult males measure 33–43 mm (1.3–1.7 in) and females 59–71 mm (2.3–2.8 in) in snout–vent length. It resembles (and has been confused with) Taruga fastigo but has relatively shorter legs, narrower but longer head, an by the absence of the black line that connects the axilla and groin in Taruga fastigo, or that line being reduced to a band of blackish dots.[3] Taruga eques can be differentiated from the species included to the same genus with the presence of Calcar on the heel.[4]

Habitat and conservation

Taruga eques inhabits montane tropical moist forests at elevations of 1,200–2,135 m (3,937–7,005 ft) above sea level. It is both arboreal and terrestrial, being found in the canopy and on tree trunks as well as in grasses at the edge of ponds. The tadpoles occur in both permanent and seasonal ponds. It does not occur in modified habitats. While a common species, it is threatened by habitat loss caused by the conversion of forest to agricultural use, forestry, fires, and infrastructure development. It is present in the Horton Plains National Park, Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve, and the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary.[1]

Polymorphism

Polymorphism is defined as “arising of two or more distinct forms simultaneously in the same habitat of a species in such proportions that the rarest of them cannot be maintained by recurrent mutation’’.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Taruga eques". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T58946A156586528. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T58946A156586528.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Taruga eques (Günther, 1858)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  3. 1 2 Manamendra-Arachchi, Kelum; Pethiyagoda, Rohan (2001). "Polypedates fastigo, a new tree frog (Ranidae: Rhacophorinae) from Sri Lanka" (PDF). Journal of South Asian Natural History. 5: 191–199.
  4. ↑ De Silva, Anslem (2009). Amphibians of Sri Lanka: A Photographic Guide to Common Frogs, Toads and Caecilians (1st ed.). Kandy: Privately published. p. 125. ISBN 978-955-52061-0-5.
  5. ↑ Ford, EB (1945). "Polymorphism". Biological Reviews. 20 (2): 73–88. doi:10.1111/j.1469-185X.1945.tb00315.x. S2CID 221532346.
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