Raorchestes archeos Vijayakumar, Dinesh, Prabhu & Shanker, 2014, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Vijayakumar, S. P.
name: Dinesh, K. P.
name: Prabhu, Mrugank V.
name: Shanker, Kartik
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Amphibia
Anura
Rhacophoridae
Raorchestes
Raorchestes archeos

description: 1. Raorchestes archeos sp. nov.
(Figures 2, 3 & 4; Tables 2 & 3)
Holotype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/865 (CESF 1190), a female (SVL 23.0 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar in August 2010 from a forest site (8.6894 N, 77.1870 E), Agasthyamalai Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India.
Paratype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/866 (CESF 2060), a male (SVL 20.1), collected by K.P. Dinesh in May 2012 from a forest site (8.6914 N, 77.1823 E), Agasthyamalai Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India.
Lineage diagnosis. Raorchestes archeos sp. nov. can be readily discerned on a phylogenetic tree (Fig 3), and is characterized by high genetic divergence (16S—15.3%) from its closest relatives R. chotta and Raorchestes blandus sp. nov. Also very distinct on major aspects of morphology from R. chotta and Raorchestes blandus sp. nov. (see field diagnosis).
……continued on the next page Species Reg.No. SEX TYD FLL HAL TFL Fdiii Fwiii TL/FL Shl/TL FOL TFOL HeTO
Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/865 F 1.1 4.8 5.0 3.6 1.0 0.6 8.5 9.3 7.5 12.8 3
archeos sp. nov. CESF 1190 (HT)
ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/866 M 0.9 4.2 4.7 8.9 0.9 0.5 7.9 7.7 7.6 12.9 3 CESF 2060 (PT)
Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/867 M 1.4 5.9 6.3 4.1 1.4 0.7 11.2 12.1 9.7 16.0 3
aureus sp. nov. CESF 1165 (HT)
ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/868 F 1.5 5.4 7.0 4.5 1.7 0.8 13.0 13.1 11.1 17.6 3 CESF 1164 (PT)
Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/869 M 0.9 4.3 4.3 3.2 0.8 0.5 8.8 8.6 6.8 11.4 2
blandus sp. nov. CESF 104 (HT)
ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/870 M 0.9 4.6 4.3 2.9 1.2 0.6 9.0 8.8 6.8 11.6 2 CESF 329 (PT)
Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/871 M 1.0 3.7 5.2 3.4 0.9 0.7 7.4 6.6 7.3 11.4 1
echinatus sp. CESF 1412 (HT)
nov. ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/872 M 1.3 3.7 4.5 3.8 0.7 0.6 7.4 6.4 7.2 10.7 1
CESF 1414 (PT)
Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/873 M 2.2 8.6 10.7 7.4 2.7 1.4 17.0 18.2 16.0 26.0 2
emeraldi sp. CESF 1353 (HT)
nov. ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/874 F 3.1 12.1 15.0 9.7 3.4 1.8 22.0 23.9 21.0 34.0 2
CESF 1365 (PT)
Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/875 M 1.3 4.5 8.3 6.1 2.0 1.1 10.2 10.1 10.9 15.4 2
flaviocularis sp. CESF 1406 (HT)
ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/876 F 1.3 5.9 6.1 5.0 1.9 1.2 9.6 10.0 9.7 14.9 2 CESF 1251 (PT)
Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/877 F 1.1 5.1 7.0 5.1 1.4 0.9 10.7 11.1 9.7 15.1 2
indigo sp. nov. CESF 1437 (HT)
ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/878 F 1.1 5.6 6.4 5.3 1.3 0.8 11.8 11.8 11.1 17.3 2 CESF 123 (PT)
Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/879 M 0.8 3.3 4.4 3.1 0.8 0.5 7.8 7.5 6.1 10.2 2
leucolatus sp. CESF 1146 (HT)
nov. ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/880 M 0.8 3.4 4.6 3.0 0.9 0.5 7.7 7.9 6.0 9.7 2
CESF 1147 (PT)
Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/881 M NA 4.5 5.4 2.8 0.6 0.6 7.0 6.5 6.6 10.8 1
primarrumpfi CESF 1276 (HT)
. nov. ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/882 M NA 3.8 4.3 2.4 0.6 0.5 6.5 6.3 6.2 9.6 1
CESF 441 (PT)
(Holotype), PT (Paratype), M (Male), F (Female), PPL (Papilla; present=1, absent=0), HeTo (Hells touch when hind limbs folded against the body; 1=do not touch,
barely touch, 3=overlap)
Field diagnosis. Morphology. The new species can be easily distinguished from both Raorchestes blandus sp. nov., and R. chotta by a combination of the following coloration characters (Fig 4); (1) skin on dorsum, lateral and ventral side smooth; (2) canthus rostralis, loreal region, region of supra tympanic fold and dorsal surface of hand black; (3) region of groin in front of thighs and vent with circular black spots; (4) ventrally mottled brown.
Additionally, it exhibits strong morphological divergence from Raorchestes blandus sp. nov. and R. chotta in a number of size related variables. Raorchestes archeos sp. nov. can be differentiated from Raorchestes blandus sp.
nov. in the large size of the adult males, SVL 20.6 (20.1–21.5, n=3) (vs. 18.5 (18.0–19.5, n=4) in Raorchestes blandus sp. nov.); longer head length, HL/SVL=0.37 (0.36–0.37, n=3) (vs. 0.30 (0.28–0.32, n=4) in Raorchestes blandus sp. nov.); wider distance between upper eyelids, IUE/SVL=0.16 (0.15–0.17, n=3) (vs. 0.10 (0.09–0.11, n=4) in Raorchestes blandus sp. nov.); longer snout length SL/SVL=0.17 (0.15–0.18, n=3) (vs. 0.14(0.13–0.15, n=4) in Raorchestes blandus sp. nov.);
Raorchestes archeos sp. nov. can be differentiated from R. chotta in the size of the adult males, SVL 20.6 (20.1–21.5, n=3) (vs. adult male SVL 16.6 (16.0–17.2, n=7) in R. chotta); wider distance between upper eyelids, IUE/SVL=0.16 (0.15–0.17, n=3) (vs. ratio of IUE/SVL=0.13 (0.13–0.14, n=7) in R. chotta); shorter length of the tibia, ShL/SVL=0.45 (0.38–0.49, n=3) (vs. ratio of ShL/SVL=0.54 (0.52–0.57, n=7) in R. chotta); shorter femur length, TL/SVL=0.46 (0.391–0.499, n=3) (vs. ratio of TL/SVL=0.53 (0.505–0.556, n=7) in R. chotta).
Description of holotype (all measurements in mm). A medium sized bush frog (SVL = 23.0 mm), width of head broader than head length (HW = 9.5 mm; HL = 7.7 mm), flat dorsally; snout acutely pointed in total profile, slightly protruding beyond mouth. Snout length is sub equal to diameter of eye (SL = 3.3 mm, EL = 3.7 mm). Canthus rostralis angular, loreal region concave. Interorbital space (IUE = 2.7 mm) flat and sub equal to upper eyelid (UEW = 2.1 mm). Interorbital space between posterior margins of the eyes 1.6 times that of anterior margins (IFE = 4.9, IBE = 8.0 mm). Nostrils oval, nearer to tip of snout. Weak symphysial knob. Pupil horizontal. Tympanum distinct, small, rounded, 3.4 times less than the eye diameter (TYD = 1.1 mm). Tongue bifid, granular without papilla. Supratympanic fold from behind eye to shoulder.
Relative length of fingers I<II<IV<III. Finger tips with well developed disks (fd3 = 1.0 mm; fw3 = 0.6) with distinct circum-marginal grooves, fingers with dermal fringes on both sides. Webbing on palm absent, subarticular tubercles distinct, rounded and pre-pollex tubercle oval, distinct. Supernumerary tubercles absent.
Hind limb long, heels overlap when folded at right angles to the body. Thigh/Femur (TL = 8.5 mm), sub equal to Shank/Tibia (ShL = 9.3 mm); longer than foot (FOL = 7.5 mm) and less than heel to tip of fourth toe (TFOL = 12.8 mm). Relative toe length I<II<III<V<IV, webbing poor, web formula (I 1- 1 II 1- 2 III 1½- 2 IV 2½- 1 V). Tibiotarsal articulation reaches posterior corner of eye. Outer metatarsal tubercle, supernumerary tubercles and tarsal tubercle absent.
Color in life. Dorsum maroon, light brown laterally with a horizontal light brown band between the orbits; canthus darker, black and lower lip with white bands. Lower half of arms black. Ventrally dark with white scattered speckled patches, distinct towards upper half of abdomen, ventral part of femur, tibia and tarsus dark, distinct black blotches towards the lateral sides of the groin. Distinct small black spot behind fore arm and a black spot at the inguinal region. Vent and posterior femur darker. Iris golden brown with a brown wash, prominent towards the anterior and posterior sides of the black pupil which is edged with varying rufous shades.
Etymology. The species is named after its deep divergence from its closest relatives (Greek: archeo = ‘ancient’).
Natural history and distribution. The species is an inhabitant of the mid-elevation (840−1071 m, n=7) wet evergreen forests of the Agasthyamalai Massif and observed from a site (9.0392 N, 77.1191 E) in Devarmalai Massif, which currently forms the northern limit of its range. One could look for additional populations in the Periyar plateau (Fig 1).
description: Published as part of Vijayakumar, S. P., Dinesh, K. P., Prabhu, Mrugank V. & Shanker, Kartik, 2014, Lineage delimitation and description of nine new species of bush frogs (Anura: Raorchestes, Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats Escarpment, pp. 451-488 in Zootaxa 3893 (4) on pages 460-464, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3893.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/287578