Amphibians of Agumbe, India

Rhacophorus malabaricus: PC Yatin Kalki

Date:
May 27th to June 22nd 2015

Species Found:

1. Malabar Gliding Frog (Rhacophorus malabaricus)
2. Western Tree Frog (Polypedates occidentalis)
3. Amboli Bush Frog (Pseudophilautus amboli)
4. Yellow Bush Frog (Raorchestes luteolus)
5. Ponmudi Bush Frog (Raorchestes ponmudi)
6. Beddome's Leaping Frog (Indirana beddomii)
7. Small Handed Leaping Frog (Indirana semipalmata)
8. Golden Frog (Hylarna aurantiaca)
9. Bronze Frog (Hylarna temporalis)
10. Bicolored Frog (Clinotarsus curtipes)
11. Indian Bullfrog (Hoplobatrachus tigerinus)
12. Common Skittering Frog (Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis)
13. Wrinkled Cricket Frog (Fejervarya caperata)
14. Kudremukh Cricket Frog (Fejervarya kudremukhensis)
15. Reddish Burrowing Frog (Fejervarya rufescens)
16. Kempholay Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus kempholayensis)
17. Karnataka Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus karnatakaensis)
18. Niluvasi Dancing Frog (Micrixalus niluvasi)
19. Kottigehara Dancing Frog (Micrixalus kottigeharensis)
20. Marbled Ramanella (Ramanella mormorata)
21. Asian Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus)
22. Yellow Striped Caecilian (Ichthyophis beddomei)

Background:

I am doing a 3 month long research project in the tropical rainforests of the Western Ghats near Agumbe, Karnataka. I am working with herpetologist, Gowri Shankar, at his research base at the Kalinga Center for Raiforest Ecology. My project is titled 'Use of Artificial Cover by Reptiles and Amphibians'. I have number of sites where I have layed out tin sheets, wooden boards and roof tiles. Everyday I check under them to see if any animals are using them. I see some animals under my cover objects but most are encountered while I'm walking between sites. These are some of the amphibians that I encounter during the course of my fieldwork. [I am writing this post during a week long break. My research project ends only in August]

Malabar Gliding Frog

Rhacophorus malabaricus: PC Yatin Kalki

Almost every night I encouter Malabar Gliding frogs calling from their perches in the trees. They are called Gliding Frogs because they use the webbing between their toes as paracutes and glide down from high branches. Once, our base manager, Prashant brought a bag of spinach from the village. Out of the bag jumped a male Gliding Frog. How he got there is anybody's guess, but it was a comical episode.

Rhacophorus malabaricus: PC Yatin Kalki

Western Tree Frog

Polypedates occidentalis: PC Yatin Kalki

Western Tree Frogs are identified by the hour-glass shape on their backs (not shown in photo). I see these frogs from time to time but they are usually found high in the canopy.

Amboli Bush Frog

Pseudophilautus amboli: PC Yatin Kalki

This is the most common Bush Frog I see. As soon as it gets dark, their calls fill the forest. With a little patience, you can locate the frogs by listening to their calls. They usually inhabit bushes between 2 and 6 foot high. During the day they rest under leaves or on the ground under cover. One individual was found under one of my roof tiles at around 1230 pm.

Pseudophilautus amboli: PC Yatin Kalki

Yellow Bush Frog

Raorchestes luteolus: PC Yatin Kalki

The Yellow Bush Frog, also called the Blue Eyed Bush Frog is another endemic species that I see quite frequently at night. It is named for its color and the blue ring around its iris. It's call is metallic and sounds like a bell ringing.

Ponmudi Bush Frog

Raorchestes ponmudi: PC Yatin Kalki

This is another bush frog with a very distinctive call. I always knew that these frogs were around but I never saw one until a guy named Abhishek decided to visit. He was really good with frogs and their calls so he tracked down a Ponmudi by its calls and showed it to all of us. It was inside a dead leaf, impossible to spot unless you knew exactly what you were looking for.

Beddome's Leaping Frog

Indirana beddomii: PC Yatin Kalki

This frog is named for its ability to leap large distances. I found this individual in the bathroom behind a vase, but they usually live on the forest floor, where they blend in with the leaf litter.

Small Handed Leaping Frog

Indirana semipalmata: PC Yatin Kalki

This species is similar to the Beddome's Leaping Frog but it has smaller hands, as its name suggests. I found one of these under a piece of wood that I had placed in the grassland. It's coloration and wrinkled skin help it blend in with the small rocks found in the drier areas.

Golden Frog

Hylarana aurantiaca: PC Yatin Kalki

These frogs are named for their golden color. For a long time I thought that all the noise coming from the ponds at night was because of the Skittering Frogs in the water, but one day I found a Golden Frog sitting on a plant at the edge of the pond and I observed that it's call was the same sound I was hearing every night. I started looking in the vegetation surrounding the pond and found a few dozen more Golden Frogs hidden between the tall leaves.

Bronze Frog

Hylarana temporalis: PC Yatin Kalki

This species is similar to the Golden Frog but it is usually found in the leaf litter around streams. Finding large females of this species at night is easy if you have bright torch. Like all frogs, their large eyes shine and can be seen from far away.

Bicolored Frog

Male Clinotarsus curtipes: PC Yatin Kalki

This is one of the most common species of frog found in the Agumbe rainforest, but it is endemic. You can see them at any time. In ponds around our base, there are large Bicolored Frog tadpoles that have been there for multiple years. Unlike most other frogs, these tadpoles can choose when to metamorphosize. They also like to form clusters for some reason.

Clinotarsus curtipes Tadpoles: PC Yatin Kalki

I have found Bicolored Frogs in various stages of metamorphosis. There was one individual which still had a tail and the colors were just starting to develop.

Clinotarsus curtipes Metamorph: PC Yatin Kalki

Males have a black coloration along their sides while females do not. Females are also much larger than males.

Female Clinotarsus curtipes: PC Yatin Kalki

At this point I have probably seen a few hundred male Bicolored Frogs, but only 2 females.

Indian Bullfrog

Hoplobatrachus tigerinus: PC Yatin Kalki

This is a common frog found throughout India. In many places it is hunted and eaten so numbers are declining. They are commonly found around the ponds near our base. Many times they hop right underfoot while you are walking. Twice, I have accidentally stepped on a Bullfrog and both times the frog hopped away as if nothing had happened. These frogs are tough if nothing else.

Common Skittering Frog

Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis: PC Yatin Kalki

This is another very common frog usually found in water, but sometimes they come onto land when it rains. When disturbed, they skitter across the water's surface, much like a flat stone skipping.

Wrinkled Cricket Frog

Fejervarya caperata: PC Yatin Kalki

These frogs are quite common but it is hard to tell different Cricket Frog species apart. One way to tell is by looking at the shape and number of the wrinkles on the back. This species has straight and continuous wrinkles.

Kudremukh Cricket Frog

Fejervarya kudremukhensis: PC Yatin Kalki

This species has a V-shaped wrinkle pattern on the back and usually has a line running down the back. I frequently find these frogs under tiles in various habitat types.

Reddish Burrowing Frog

Fejervarya rufescens: PC Yatin Kalki

The Reddish Burrowing Frog is a species more closely related to the Cricket Frogs than other burrowing frogs. Though its color may not always be reddish, it is identified by its wrinkled back and small white line between the eyes. I find large numbers of these frogs in the drier and rockier areas.

Kempholay Night Frog

Nyctibatrachus kempholayensis: PC Yatin Kalki

This species is found in streams and ditches. They are nocturnal frogs with diamond shaped pupils. During the day they are usually found under rocks in streams.

Karnataka Night Frog

Nyctibatrachus karnatakaensis: PC Yatin Kalki

Another Night Frog species. I identify them by their red legs. [not shown in photo]

Niluvasi Dancing Frog

Micrixalus niluvasi: PC Yatin Kalki

This is a fairly small sized frog. It is identified by the reddish back and the black sides. Dancing frogs will sometimes display to each other by 'foot flagging'. They raise their front or back feet and wave them to establish dominance or to attract mates.

Kottigehara Dancing Frog

Micrixalus kottigeharensis: PC Yatin Kalki

This species also exhibits foot flagging behavior. The coloration is different from the Niluvasi's.

Marbled Ramanella

Ramanella mormorata: PC Yatin Kalki

The Marbled Ramanella is a narrow-mouthed frog endemic certain areas in the Western Ghats. In the time I have spent in Agumbe so far, I have only seen 2 individuals.

Asian Toad

Duttaphrynus melanostictus: PC Yatin Kalki

These are probably the most common amphibians in India. I find them in all the habitat types found in the study area around the base. These are the most common visitors to my cover objects and I usually find them under all the cover types. The beginning of the monsoon is the breeding time for Asian Toads so they are heard calling at night and even during the day. The males become bright yellow at this time.

Male Breeding Colors of Duttaphrynus melanostictus: PC Yatin Kalki

Yellow Striped Caecilian

Ichthyophis beddomei: PC Yatin Kalki

These are legless amphibians that burrow in moist soil. The yellow stripe running down their side gives them their name. I mostly find them under rocks and logs near streams but they come out in the open when it rains.

Fall Herping in Southern Illinois 1

Black Kingsnake: PC Yatin Kalki

Date:
September 27th & 28th 2014

Species Found:

1. Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus)
2. Dwarf American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus charlsmithi)
3. Black Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula niger)
4. Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi)
5. Bronze Frog (Rana c. clamitans)
6. Ground Skink (Scincella lateralis)
7. Northern Redbelly Snake (Storeria o. occipitomaculata)
8. Five Lined Skink (Peistodon fasciatus)
9. Fowler's Toad (Bufo fowleri)

Background:

I took a 2 day field trip to Southern Illinois with my Earth Science and Environment class. The field trip was aimed at showing us the diverse relief features of Illinois but I was more interested in the herps I that occurred there. Tristan had told me all about the various snake species, including venomous ones, that could be found in the Shawnee Hills. This time I didn't have Tristan to tell me about each species as we found them. I had to be able to identify all of them by myself. I looked at pictures of all the species and learned how to identify the venomous ones in particular: the Cottonmouth, the Copperhead and the Timber Rattlesnake. I knew the non-venomous ones roughly and that was good enough for me. I was planning to take pictures and send them to Tristan for identification. There was one professor, Dr. Rob, on the trip who was a fan of reptiles and all animals in general, but not really a herper. He told all of us on the trip not to touch any of the snakes that we might find but after I showed him that I knew what I was doing, he waived the rule just for me. He was also an amateur wildlife photographer so had a policy where he would give students $5 for every vertebrate they helped him get a good picture of. I planned to totally capitalize on this deal.

The Trip:

The first place we visited was called Garden of the Gods. It was high up on a hill with many boulders and rocky outcroppings. From the moment we stepped out of the bus, I started herping. I was flipping logs and looking under rocks while the rest of my class stared at me in puzzlement. I finally found a baby Fence Lizard on the side of a boulder. Catching it was not easy, but I eventually did and brought it back for Dr. Rob to photograph. Getting 5 photographs of "nature" was a part of the assignment so the rest of the class took turns taking pictures of the lizard too.

Eastern Fence Lizard: PC Yatin Kalki

Eastern Fence Lizard: PC Yatin Kalki

Eastern Fence Lizard: PC Yatin Kalki

The next place we went to was Heron Pond, a forest with a stream cutting through it, finally ending up in a swamp. I found an American Toad under a log near the parking lot and again, there was a queue to take pictures of it.

Dwarf American Toad: PC Yatin Kalki

Dwarf American Toad: PC Yatin Kalki

Soon, we came across a stream where Cricket Frogs were hopping all over the place. Flipping some of the rocks in the stream resulted in some frogs that I later found out were Bronze Frogs.

Northern Cricket Frog: PC Yatin Kalki

Bronze Frog: PC Yatin Kalki

I wasn't satisfied with what I had found so far. I knew that if I was going to see any snakes, I would see them in Heron Pond. So, as the group was walking ahead on the trail, chattering, I was hanging behind, flipping every rock and looking in every tree hollow. Finally, I came upon a large pile of rocks by the side of the stream. I flipped a few and found a large black snake coiled up, nestled between a few large rocks. I couldn't see the head and I knew it could be a Cottonmouth so I grabbed a stick and moved its body off the head. As soon as I saw that its head wasn't the distinctive triangle shape of a viper, I grabbed it by the tail and picked it up. Surprisingly, it didn't hiss, strike or musk on me. This 4 foot snake was so docile, you would've thought it was a pet. From the black dorsal side and the white ventral side, I guessed it was a Black Rat Snake. When I called everyone over, Dr. Rob was overjoyed to see the snake and he promptly took it in his hands with no hesitation. I told him that I thought it was a Black Rat Snake and he seemed to agree. My classmates were a little more wary of such a large snake but once they realized that it wasn't doing anything, they slowly came forward, one by one to hold it. I found out later from Tristan that it was actually a Black Kingsnake, a species that looks very similar to the Black Rat Snake. The Black Kingsnake is known to eat other snakes, including venomous Cottonmouths and Rattlesnakes.

Black Kingsnake: PC Yatin Kalki

Kingsnake with Geology Prof: PC Yatin Kalki

Black Kingsnake: PC Yatin Kalki

Black Kingsnake: PC Yatin Kalki

I let the Kingsnake go and soon caught a Ground Skink. I had seen at least 10 of them before I managed to catch one because they were so fast.

Ground Skink: PC Yatin Kalki

As we were walking through the forest and returning to the bus, Dr. Rob, who was walking beside me, said "Snake!" and pointed to the floor. Sure enough there was a small 8 inch snake crossing our path. I picked it up and thought it was a Ringneck Snake but it was actually a Northern Redbelly, Tristan told me. We took some pictures of that and let it go.

Northern Redbelly Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

Northern Redbelly Snake: PC Yatin Kalki

The next day we went to farmer's prawn ranch. He had about 5 artificial ponds which had Cricket Frogs and Bull Frogs in them. I couldn't catch any of them as they were in the water. That' why they aren't on the Species Found List. When I spoke to the farmer, he said that in Spring and Summer, he gets Cottonmouths, Copperheads, Hognoseds, Garters and Kingsnakes. He also gave me permission to look under the tin sheets and what not that lay about on his property. Under one tin, I found a vibrant Five Lined Skink but it was too fast and went down a hole. I also found a large Fowler's Toad hopping around.

Fowler's Toad: PC Yatin Kalki

Fowler's Toad: PC Yatin Kalki

In total, I found 9 species for Dr. Rob to photograph. I was looking forward to getting $45 but he said he didn't expect anyone to actually take the challenge seriously and at most, he would pay me $5. At that point, I was happy just with the 8 new species I had added to my American Herp List. My total count now stood at 17 species over 3 herping trips.