Minervarya pentali

Minervarya pentali
Dorsal view of M. pentali
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Dicroglossidae
Genus:	Minervarya
Species:	M. pentali
Binomial name
Minervarya pentali Garg and Biju, 2021
Approximate distribution   Range

Minervarya pentali, or Pental's Minervaryan frog, is a species of frog in the fork-tongued frog family, Dicroglossidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats in India.

Etymology

The species is named pentali after

M. pentali is smaller than other Minervarya species, with males measuring 20 mm and females measuring 25 mm from snout to vent. The skin is folded and granulated. The upper parts of the body are greyish-brown and have the texture of shagreen, while the underparts are smooth and generally paler. The throat is flesh-coloured, and the calling patch is black. A yellow-grey line runs down the middle of the back. The males produce a pulsating call at regular intervals. The tongue is notched at the tip.^[3]

Behaviour

Call

Male M. pentali produce a pulsating call, which they repeat at regular intervals. Each call, which has 19 pulses on average, lasts for roughly one-fifths of a second. Calls are made from 6 PM to 10 PM.^[3]

Breeding

The breeding season is from July to September. During this season, males congregate in large numbers in grasses and around water bodies.^[3]

Distribution and habitat

M. pentali is endemic to the southern Western Ghats, where it is widespread and found from sea level up to an elevation of 220 m. Its range extends from Kerala's Kozhikode district in the north to Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari district in the south.^[3] The frogs are found in vegetated wayside areas, plantations, irrigated fields and near natural water sources; they are not recorded from forested areas.^[1][3]

References