Raorchestes sanctisilvaticus

Raorchestes sanctisilvaticus, also known as the sacred grove bushfrog, sacred grove bush frog or Similipal bush frog, is a critically endangered species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae.

Raorchestes sanctisilvaticus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Rhacophoridae
Genus: Raorchestes
Species:
R. sanctisilvaticus
Binomial name
Raorchestes sanctisilvaticus
(Das [fr] and Chanda, 1997[2]
Synonyms
  • Philautus sanctisilvaticus Das and Chanda, 1997
  • Philautus sanctipalustris Das and Chanda, 1997 [lapsus]
  • Philautus similipalensis Dutta, 2003
  • Philautus terebrans Das & Chanda, 1998
  • Raorchestes terebrans (Das & Chanda, 1998)

Distribution and habitat

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It is endemic to India and only known from the Kapildhara Falls near Amarkantak, in the Madhya Pradesh state and Gurguria, in the Similipal Biosphere Reserve (near or in the Simlipal National Park), Odisha state in south-eastern India.[3]

Its natural habitat is old growth tropical moist, semi-evergreen and mesic forest. It has been found underneath rotten sal (Shorea robusta) leaves, and in loose leaf-covered soil and inside rotten logs, close to riverbanks, and likely in tropical dry forest. It is threatened by habitat loss caused by harvesting of wood for subsistence purposes, infrastructure development for tourism, and fires.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Indraneil Das, Sushil Dutta, Karthikeyan Vasudevan, S.P. Vijayakumar (2004). "Raorchestes sanctisilvaticus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T58897A11846368. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T58897A11846368.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Das, I. & S. K. Chanda (1997). "Philautus sanctisilvaticus (Anura: Rhacophoridae), a new frog from the sacred groves of Amarkantak, central India". Hamadryad. 22. Madras: 21–27.
  3. ^ Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Philautus sanctisilvaticus Das and Chanda, 1997". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 20 January 2015.