Two new species of Philautus (Anura, Ranidae, Rhacophorinae) from the Western Ghats, India

Abstract

The oriental shrubfrog genus Philautus (Anura, Ranidae, Rhacophorinae) is a large group of direct-developing frogs that still holds several undescribed species on the Indian subcontinent. Here we describe two new species, Philautus anili sp. nov. and Philautus dubois sp. nov. from Wayanad (Kerala) and Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu), respectively. Both species were collected from the township, where they are abundant in roadside vegetation and gardens, illustrating that several of the most common Western Ghats frogs are still not scientifically described. The two species are clearly distinct from all known species, but are morphologically similar to each other. However, Philautus anili differs from P. dubois by its larger snout-to-vent length, the sharp canthus rostralis, and the tibia that is longer than the femur. © 2006 Brill Academic Publishers.