Raorchestes johnceei

Raorchestes johnceei is a frog.  It lives in India.  Scientists have seen it between 900 and 1300 meters above sea level in the Western Ghat mountains.

People have seen this frog on reed plants that grow high in the hills, for example Ochlandra travancorica. This frog lays eggs in bamboo plants. This frog hatches out of its egg as a small frog. It never swims as a tadpole.

Scientists say this frog is in danger of dying out because it lives in such a small place. Humans cut down the reeds the frog lives on to build fences and to keep elephants away. When they take the reeds away, they take the frog away too.  Scientists say that climate change could also hurt this frog. Because it lives high in the hills, the frogs cannot move north to colder places. They would have to climb down the hills to warmer places first.  Scientists have seen the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on other frogs in Raorchestes, so they think it could infect R. jayarami too. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis causes the fungal disease chytridiomycosis.

First paper

References

Category:Frogs of Asia