Ghatixalus variabilis (Jerdon, 1853)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Rhacophoridae > Subfamily: Rhacophorinae > Genus: Ghatixalus > Species: Ghatixalus variabilis

Polypedates variabilis Jerdon, 1853, J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 22: 532. Type: Not stated, though presumably in the ZSIC; reported as lost by Jerdon, 1870, Proc. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 1870: 67; considered lost by Bossuyt and Dubois, 2001, Zeylanica, 6: 13, who designated IRSNB 1918 as neotype and redescribed it on page 63. BMNH 1852.12.11.12 (now 1947.2.8.53) and 1933.9.10.17–18 (and 1947.2.7.74–75) are recorded in museum records as syntypes something which needs confirmation and possibly obviates the neotype designation (DRF). Type locality: "Neelgherries in the banks of streams and shrubs", South India. Neotype is from "Botanical Gardens, Udhagamangalam ('Ootacamund', 'Ooty') (11° 24′ N, 76° 42′ E), Nilgiri Hills, Tamil Nadu, India". Synonymy by Günther, 1871, Zool. Rec., 7: 77.

Polypedates pleurostictus Günther, 1864, Rept. Brit. India: 430. Syntypes: BMNH (3 specimens) by original designation and Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 80; BMNH 1947.2.7.74-75 and 1947.2.8.53 according to Bossuyt and Dubois, 2001, Zeylanica, 6: 19, who designated as lectotype BMNH 1947.2.8.53 (formerly 1852.12.11.12) and described it on page 69. Type locality: "Madras Presidency", India. Synonymy by Bossuyt and Dubois, 2001, Zeylanica, 6: 12. Synonymy doubted by Biju, 2001, Occas. Publ. Indian Soc. Conserv. Biol., 1: 19.

Rhacophorus pleurostictusBoulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 79. Daniel and Sekar, 1989, J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 86: 200.

Rhacophorus parkeri Ahl, 1927, Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1927: 38. Holotype: ZMB 10142 according to Bossuyt and Dubois, 2001, Zeylanica, 6: 45. Type locality: "Malabar", India. Biju, 2001, Occas. Publ. Indian Soc. Conserv. Biol., 1: 8, noted the imprecision of this type locality. Provisional synonymy by Bossuyt and Dubois, 2001, Zeylanica, 6: 14, who noted that the holotype may have originally been in the BMNH. This synonymy doubted by Biju, 2001, Occas. Publ. Indian Soc. Conserv. Biol., 1: 19.

Rhacophorus (Rhacophorus) pleurostictusAhl, 1931, Das Tierreich, 55: 123.

Rhacophorus (Philautus) parkeriAhl, 1931, Das Tierreich, 55: 81.

Rhacophorus (Rhacophorus) buergeri pleurostictusWolf, 1936, Bull. Raffles Mus., 12: 173.

Philautus parkeriInger, 1985, in Frost (ed.), Amph. Species World: 531.

Philautus (Kirtixalus) pleurostictusDubois, 1987 "1986", Alytes, 5: 73.

Rhacophorus (Rhacophorus) variabilisBossuyt and Dubois, 2001, Zeylanica, 6: 13.

Ghatixalus variabilisBiju, Roelants, and Bossuyt, 2008, Organisms Divers. Evol., 8: 269.

English Names

Green Tree Frog (Dinesh, Radhakrishnan, Gururaja, and Bhatta, 2009, Rec. Zool. Surv. India, Occas. Pap., 302: 91).

Parker's Bubble-nest Frog (Philautus parkeri [no longer recognized]: Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 112).

Parker's Bush Frog (Philautus parkeri [no longer recognized]: Das and Dutta, 1998, Hamadryad, 23: 66).

Indian Bubble-nest Frog (Rhacophorus pleurostictus [no longer recognized]: Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 112).

Zamorin Tree Frog (Rhacophorus pleurostictus [no longer recognized]: Das and Dutta, 1998, Hamadryad, 23: 67).

Green Frog of the Neelgherries (Polypedates variabilis: Jerdon, 1853, J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 22: 532).

Green Tree Frog (Rhacophorus pleurostictus [no longer recognized]: Chanda, 2002, Handb. Indian Amph.: 178).

Spotted Green Tree Frog (Rhacophorus pleurostictus [no longer recognized]: Daniels, 2005, Amph. Peninsular India: 175).

Variably-coloured Ghat Tree Frog (Dinesh, Radhakrishnan, Deepak, and Kulkarni, 2023, Fauna India Checklist, vers. 5.0 : 12).

Distribution

North of the Palakkad Gap in the Nilgiri Hills and Camel's Hump Hills of Kerala, India. 

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: India

Endemic: India

Comment

See account (as Rhacophorus pleurostictus) by Daniel and Sekar, 1989, J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 86: 200. Brief accounts provided by Chanda, 2002, Handb. Indian Amph.: 164 (as Philautus parkeri) and page 178 (as Rhacophorus pleurostictus). Daniels, 2005, Amph. Peninsular India: 175, provided an account (as Rhacophorus pleurostictus). Biju, Roelants, and Bossuyt, 2008, Organisms Divers. Evol., 8: 267–276, transferred this species into Ghatixalus and discussed its systematics. A very brief characterization, photograph, and dot map provided by Subramanian, Dinesh, and Radhakrishnan, 2013, Atlas of Endemic Amph. W. Ghats: 116. Sivaprasad, 2013, Common Amph. Kerala: 150–151, provided a brief account, photograph, and dot map for Kerala, India. Note that with the naming of Ghatixalus magnus from the southern Western Ghats by Abraham, Mathew, Cyriac, Zachariah, Raju, and Zachariah, 2015, Zootaxa, 4048: 101–113, renders at least some of the earlier publications relevant to Ghatixalus magnusDas and Dutta, 2007, Hamadryad, 31: 154–181, noted two larval descriptions in the literature (as Rhacophorus pleurostictus). 

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