Polypedates ranwellai

Ranwella's spined tree frog (Polypedates ranwellai) is a frog.  It lives in Sri Lanka. People have seen it 150 meters above sea level.

The adult male frog is 40.5 – 48.8 mm long from nose to rear end and the adult female frog is 67.9 mm long.  This frog has teeth in its upper jaw and bony growth on its head.  The skin of the frog's back can be white to yellow or green in color, with black spots. The sides of the frog's body are yellow and off-white with black spots.  Parts of the legs are yellow with black stripes.  The belly is white in color.

This frog lives in and near forests. People have seen them where the tree branches do not come together like a roof but they see even more of them deeper in the forest where the tree branches do come together like a roof.  Scientists think this frog hatches out of its egg as a small frog and never swims as a tadpole, but they are not sure. Scientists saw two frogs mating and then saw the female frog dig what may have been a nest on the ground, but they decided not to move.

Scientists believe this frog is in danger of dying out because it lives in only a few small places and because human beings still change those places.  Human beings come into their forests to take wood, build farms, and build machines on water to make electricity.  Human beings also cut down small forests to build towns. Climate change has changed rainfall, which also makes life harder for this frog.

Scientists named this frog for Sanjeewa Ranwella, a doctor who helped save Gilimale forest.

First paper

References

Category:Frogs of Asia