Philautus marki Biju & Bossuyt 2009, SP. NOV.
Creators: name: Biju, S. D.
name: Bossuyt, Franky
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Amphibia
Anura
Rhacophoridae
Philautus
Philautus marki

description: PHILAUTUS MARKI SP. NOV.  (FIGS 2, 46B, 47A–D, 48; TABLE 2)  
 Type material: Holotype, BNHS 4537, an adult male, SVL 22.8 mm, collected by SDB on 20 July 2000 from Kaikatti-Nelliyampathi, Palakkad, Kerala, India; paratypes, BNHS 4538 and BNHS 4539, two adult males, and BNHS 4540 and BNHS 4541, two adult females collected by SDB on 23 June 2006 from the same locality as the holotype.   
 Other material studied: SDB 028 C, an adult male, collected along with the holotype (Table 2).   
 Diagnosis: Philautus marki sp. nov. can be distinguished from known congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) small male adult snout–vent length (SVL 22.2 ± 0.7 mm, N = 4); (2) snout pointed in dorsal view; (3) snout longer than the horizontal diameter of the eye; (4) skin of dorsum with small horny spinules; (5) horny ridges between the eyes, arranged in a triangle directed posteriorly; (6) flank and groin light grey with minute white marbling.   
 In general appearance, the new species could be confused with P. griet and P. tinniens. Philautus marki sp. nov. differs from P. griet by its pointed snout in dorsal view (vs. snout oval), snout longer than the horizontal diameter of the eye, SL 3.3 ± 0.1 mm vs. EL 2.7 ± 0.2 mm, N = 4, male, (vs. snout length subequal to horizontal diameter of the eye, SL 2.5 ± 0.1 mm vs. EL 2.6 ± 0.2 mm, N = 5, male); P. marki sp. nov. differs from P. tinniens by its pointed snout in dorsal view (vs. oval snout), shank longer than thigh length, ShL 10.8 ± 0.3 mm vs. TL 9.5 ± 0.3 mm, N = 4, male (vs. shank subequal to thigh length, ShL 8.5 ± 0.7 mm vs. TL 9.0 ± 0.6 mm, N = 3), posterior surface of thighs light grey without prominent markings (vs. thighs dark brown with variable grey patches), presence of horny ridge between eyes (vs. horny ridge absent).   
 Description of the holotype (all measurements in mm): Small frog (SVL 22.8) with a slender body (Figs 47A, 48); head length (HL 7.4) subequal to width (HW 7.2; MN 6.0; MFE 5.1; MBE 2.3); outline of snout in dorsal view pointed (Fig. 47A), slightly protruding, snout length (SL 3.4) longer than the horizontal diameter of eye (EL 2.9); canthus rostralis sharp, loreal region acutely concave (Fig. 47B); distance between posterior margins of eyes (IBE 6.2) 1.5 times the distance between anterior margins of eyes (IFE 4.0); tympanum (TYD 1.2) distinct; supratympanic fold distinct, from back of eyes to shoulder; tongue with a lingual papilla.   
Forelimb (FLL 4.5) shorter than hand (HAL 6.3; TFL 4.0); subarticular tubercles prominent, rounded, single (Fig. 47C); prepollex distinct, oval; supernumerary tubercles prominently present on all fingers, especially on palm (Fig. 47C); nuptial pad absent.  
Hindlimbs moderately long; shank (ShL 10.6) longer than thigh (TL 9.4), distance from base of internal metatarsal tubercle to tip of toe IV (FOL 9.0); distance from heel to tip of toe IV (TFOL 14.5); webbing small (Fig. 47D), hardly reaching up to second subarticular tubercle on inside of toe IV, and reaching above the second subarticular tubercle on outside of toe IV; subarticular tubercles prominent, rounded, simple, IV3 weakly developed; supernumerary tubercles present on toes (Fig. 47D).  
Skin of snout shagreened, between eyes shagreened to granular, horny ridges between the eyes, arranged in a triangle directed posteriorly (Fig. 47A), upper eyelids, side of head and back with horny spinules; flanks shagreened to granular, dorsal part of thighs shagreened, shanks with horny spinules, tarsus shagreened; throat weakly shagreened, chest, belly, and ventral side of thighs granular.  
 Colour of holotype: In life: dorsum dark grey, with a brownish concave stripe running from behind the eye (Fig. 48), a brownish stripe between the eyes, upper eyelids light grey, loreal and tympanic regions light greyish brown; groin light grey, minutely marbled with white; iris golden brown; limbs light brown with light-brown cross bands, both elbows brownish; posterior surface of thighs light grey; ventral side light grey.   
In preservation: dorsum light-brownish grey with a pair of dark-grey concave stripes running from behind the eye to half of the dorsum, a light-grey stripe between the eyes forming a triangular grey-coloured snout; limbs light brown with dark-brown cross bands; both elbows light grey; ventral side uniform creamy white with dark-grey spots, especially on the throat.  
 Variation: Measurements of six specimens including the type series are given in Table 2. There is little colour variation, but the concentration of dorsal markings and cross bands on limbs is less in BNHS 4540 and BNHS 4541.   
 Etymology: This species is named after Mark Wilkinson of the Natural History Museum, London, in great appreciation of his contribution to Indian amphibian research, and his generous support of SDB’s amphibian research.   
 Distribution and natural history: Philautus marki sp. nov. is presently known only from the type locality: Kaikatti (Fig. 46B, Table 1). The holotype and two male paratypes were collected during a rainy late evening from leaves about 1-m high near disturbed evergreen forest patches. The two female paratypes were collected from the ground on the surface of dead leaves.
description: Published as part of Biju, S. D. & Bossuyt, Franky, 2009, Systematics and phylogeny of Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Anura, Rhacophoridae) in the Western Ghats of India, with descriptions of 12 new species, pp. 374-444 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 155 (2) on pages 425-426, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00466.x, http://zenodo.org/record/5445358