Search

Phylogeny of Fejervarya The phylogeny recovered a well supported clade consisting of all Fejervarya from South and South East Asia (Fig 2). We also recovered two sister clades within Fejervarya. The geographical ranges of the two clades broadly overlap around the Northeast Indian regions and Thailand (Fig 2). The Fejervarya clade was recovered as sister to Sphaerotheca. The unidentified individuals in our collection formed a monophyletic group and showed a sister relationship with Minervarya sahyadris (Fig 2). The clade consisting of the unidentified individuals and Minervarya sahyadris was deeply nested within the larger Fejervarya clade. Based on this, we synonymize Minervarya Dubois, Ohler and Biju, 2001 under Fejervarya Bolkay, 1915 (see discussion below) and provide a diagnosis and describe the unidentified individuals in our collection as Fejervarya gomantaki sp. nov. Generic allocation. There is considerable confusion in generic level taxonomy and systematics within dicroglossid frogs, specifically the distinction between Fejervarya, Minervarya and Zakerana (see discussion below). Apart from the strong phylogenetic support (Fig 2), the individuals are assignable to the genus Fejervarya based on the diagnosable generic morphological characters assigned by Dubois et al. (2001) for the then genus Minervarya Dubois, Ohler and Biju, 2001 and Fejervarya Bolkay, 1915; namely to the group of small sized frogs having snout not greatly pointed or slightly rounded; relatively small tympanum; small rounded or laterally compressed internal metatarsal tubercles; rudimentary webbing on feet and small tibia; presence of rictal glands, fejervaryan lines, and horizontal band on the upper lip. Within Fejervarya, presence of a rictal gland is a derived character unique to the clade composed of Fejervarya sahyadris, Fejervarya gomantaki sp. nov. and a north eastern species Fejervarya chilapata.

Dinesh, K. P., Vijayakumar, S. P., Channakeshavamurthy, B. H., Torsekar, Varun R., Kulkarni, Nirmal U., Shanker, Kartik (2015): Systematic status of Fejervarya (( Amphibia, Anura, Dicroglossidae) from South and SE Asia with the description of a new species from the Western Ghats of Peninsular India. Zootaxa 3999 (1): 79-94, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3999.1.5

Phylogeny of Fejervarya The phylogeny recovered a well supported clade consisting of all Fejervarya from South and South East Asia (Fig 2). We also recovered two sister clades within Fejervarya. The geographical ranges of the two clades broadly overlap around the Northeast Indian regions and Thailand (Fig 2). The Fejervarya clade was recovered as sister to Sphaerotheca. The unidentified individuals in our collection formed a monophyletic group and showed a sister relationship with Minervarya sahyadris (Fig 2). The clade consisting of the unidentified individuals and Minervarya sahyadris was deeply nested within the larger Fejervarya clade. Based on this, we synonymize Minervarya Dubois, Ohler and Biju, 2001 under Fejervarya Bolkay, 1915 (see discussion below) and provide a diagnosis and describe the unidentified individuals in our collection as Fejervarya gomantaki sp. nov. Generic allocation. There is considerable confusion in generic level taxonomy and systematics within dicroglossid frogs, specifically the distinction between Fejervarya, Minervarya and Zakerana (see discussion below). Apart from the strong phylogenetic support (Fig 2), the individuals are assignable to the genus Fejervarya based on the diagnosable generic morphological characters assigned by Dubois et al. (2001) for the then genus Minervarya Dubois, Ohler and Biju, 2001 and Fejervarya Bolkay, 1915; namely to the group of small sized frogs having snout not greatly pointed or slightly rounded; relatively small tympanum; small rounded or laterally compressed internal metatarsal tubercles; rudimentary webbing on feet and small tibia; presence of rictal glands, fejervaryan lines, and horizontal band on the upper lip. Within Fejervarya, presence of a rictal gland is a derived character unique to the clade composed of Fejervarya sahyadris, Fejervarya gomantaki sp. nov. and a north eastern species Fejervarya chilapata., Published as part of Dinesh, K. P., Vijayakumar, S. P., Channakeshavamurthy, B. H., Torsekar, Varun R., Kulkarni, Nirmal U. & Shanker, Kartik, 2015, Systematic status of Fejervarya (( Amphibia, Anura, Dicroglossidae) from South and SE Asia with the description of a new species from the Western Ghats of Peninsular India, pp. 79-94 in Zootaxa 3999 (1) on page 82, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3999.1.5, http://zenodo.org/record/289212, {"references":["Dubois, A., Ohler, A. & Biju, S. D. (2001) A new genus and species of Ranidae (Amphibia; Anura) from southwestern India. Alytes, 19, 53 - 79."]}

2. Raorchestes aureus sp. nov. (Figures 2, 3 & 5; Tables 2 & 3) Holotype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 867 (CESF 1165), an adult male (SVL 24.8 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and Mrugank V. Prabhu in July 2010 from a high elevation site (10.9452 N, 76.6446 E) in Elivalmalai Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Paratype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 868 (CESF 1164), an adult female (SVL 28.3), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and Mrugank V. Prabhu in July 2010 from a high elevation site (10.9452 N, 76.6446 E) in Elivalmalai Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Lineage diagnosis. Raorchestes aureus sp. nov. can be diagnosed as a deeply divergent (16 S— 7.3 %) lineage nested within a larger clade N (Fig 3). The lineage is isolated on the high elevations of Elivalmalai Massif (Fig 1 & 2). Morphologically, it shows strong signatures of divergence from other similar relatives within clade N (see below). We use all the above criteria, genetic divergence, geographical range and morphology to diagnose this lineage. The relatives that potentially overlap in morphology and hence could be confused with this lineage within the clade N are discussed below. Field diagnosis. Morphology. Raorchestes aureus sp. nov. could be confused with R. chromasynchysi which occurs in sympatry (see remarks). However, the new species can be differentiated based on the shorter thigh length, TL/SVL= 0.45 (0.44–0.45, n= 4) (vs. TL/SVL= 0.52 (0.50–0.54, n= 3) in R. chromasynchysi); shorter tibia length, ShL/SVL= 0.46 (0.45–0.47, n= 4) (vs. ShL/SVL= 0.51 (0.50–0.51, n= 3) in R. chromasynchysi); in having a distinct golden iris (vs. silvery to light brown in R. chromasynchysi); dorsal coloration shades of brown (vs. very variable from shades of brown to green in R. chromasynchysi); anterior and posterior region of thigh (femur) characterized by distinct or faint cross bar with alternating darker and lighter shades of brown (vs. plain coloration on the posterior thigh and dark coloration with yellow blotches on the anterior thigh in R. chromasynchysi); lateral sides of irregular mottling of brown/yellow and green extending from groin to base of supratympanic fold (vs. distinct separation of dorsal and ventral coloration without any such mottling). Geography. Current data suggests a narrow restricted range to the high elevation of Elivalmalai Massif in the Western Ghats (see natural history and distribution for details). Description of holotype (all measurements in mm). A small sized bush frog (SVL = 24.8 mm), width of head broader than head length (HW = 10.3 mm; HL = 8.3 mm), flat dorsally; snout acutely pointed in total profile, slightly protruding beyond mouth. Snout length is sub equal to diameter of eye (SL = 3.4 mm, EL = 3.7 mm). Canthus rostralis angular, loreal region slightly concave. Interorbital space (IUE = 2.9 mm) flat and sub equal to upper eyelid (UEW = 2.6 mm). Interorbital space between posterior margins of the eyes 1.8 times that of anterior margins (IFE = 5.0, IBE = 9.1 mm). Nostrils oval, nearer to tip of snout. Weak symphysial knob. Pupil horizontal. Tympanum distinct, rounded, small, barely visible behind the eye. Tongue bifid, granular with a papilla. Supratympanic fold from behind eye to shoulder. Relative length of fingers I Hind limb long, heels overlap when folded at right angles to the body. Thigh/Femur (TL = 11.2 mm), sub equal to Shank/Tibia (ShL = 12.1 mm); longer than foot (FOL = 9.7 mm) and less than heel to tip of fourth toe (TFOL = 16.0 mm). Relative toe length I Color in life. Limbs faintly cross-barred, pattern extending towards the anterior and posterior parts of the thigh. Lateral sides characterized by irregular mottling of yellow and light green extending from groin to base of supratympanic fold. Ventral parts of head, body, hand and foot mottled, but more pronounced at the region of belly and throat. Iris distinct golden with brown edged coarse speckles around the pupil, visible even in the preserved specimens. Etymology. The species is named after the consistent golden iris coloration (Latin: aureus = golden). Natural history and distribution. All the individuals were collected from forest edges in a grassland site and all males located were found calling at the ground level. It appears to be a range restricted species, recorded from a single high elevation (1524 m) site in Elivalmalai Massif (Fig 1 & 2). The elevational range within Elivalmalai needs additional field sampling. Remarks. R. chromasynchysi was known only from the type locality (Biju and Bossuyt 2009) and a recent record from north of its type locality (Dinesh and Radhakrishnan, 2012). We have uncovered multiple potential lineages across various Massifs and hill ranges in the central Western Ghats (see above under sub-clade composition). For the above quantitative comparison, we have used individuals from a shallow divergent lineage that overlap with the range of Raorchestes aureus sp. nov.

4. Raorchestes echinatus sp. nov. (Figures 2, 3 & 7; Tables 2 & 3) Holotype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 871 (CESF 1412), an adult male (SVL 18.0 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and K.P. Dinesh in September 2011 from a grassland site (13.4228 N, 75.7695 E), Baba Budan Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Paratype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 872 (CESF 1414), an adult male (SVL 19.0), collected by collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and K.P. Dinesh in September 2011 from a grassland site (13.4228 N, 75.7695 E), Baba Budan Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Lineage diagnosis. This lineage belongs to the larger clade N (Fig 3), with an unresolved relationship status within this clade, but with very high levels (16 S��� 7.3 %) of divergence from all other lineages. It exhibits a number of unique morphological characteristics (Fig 7) (see field diagnosis) and shows strong affinity towards grasslands and is restricted geographically to the high elevations of Baba Budan Massif in the Western Ghats. We diagnose this lineage based on the deep genetic divergence, morphology, ecology and geography. Field diagnosis. Morphology. Raorchestes echinatus sp. nov. superficially resembles R. tuberohumerus in adult male size SVL 18.4 (18.0���19.0, n= 3) (vs. adult male size SVL 18.3 (17.7 ���19.0, n= 6) in R. tuberohumerus), however a number of divergent characters could be discerned; larger head width, HW/SVL= 0.40 (0.38���0.41, n= 3) (vs. HW/SVL= 0.35 (0.33���0.36, n= 6) in R. tuberohumerus); shorter head length, HL/SVL= 0.27 (0.24���0.29, n= 3) (vs. HL/SVL= 0.37 (0.36���0.40, n= 6) in R. tuberohumerus); shorter eye length, EL/SVL= 0.104 (0.099���0.108, n= 3) (vs. EL/SVL= 0.127 (0.111���0.137, n= 6) in R. tuberohumerus); shorter tibia, ShL/SVL= 0.36 (0.34���0.38, n= 3) (vs. ShL/SVL= 0.46 (0.41���0.49, n= 6) in R. tuberohumerus); shorter femur length, TL/SVL= 0.409 (0.39���0.43, n= 3) (vs. TL/SVL= 0.50 (0.46���0.52, n= 6) in R. tuberohumerus); skin, on the dorsum rough with minute horny ridges, more spinular and on the dorsal surface of limbs smooth; lateral and ventral sides granular (vs. sparsely granular dorsum in R. tuberohumerus); yellowish throat finely speckled in brown (vs. flesh coloured, speckled in black in R. tuberohumerus); ventral coloration, white mottlings on a dark background, the pattern extending into femur, tibia, tarsus (vs. anterior thigh region characterized by dark colouration with distinct yellow blotches in R. tuberohumerus). Additionally the new species, Raorchestes echinatus sp. nov., can be easily distinguished morphologically from known congeners in clade N, that potentially overlap with its geographical range, by its size, horny ridges on the dorsum, ventral and throat coloration. Ecology. A species of the open habitat and all individuals were observed in the grasslands. Geography. Distribution data suggests that it is restricted to the Baba Budan Massif (see natural history and distribution for details). Description of holotype (all measurements in mm). A small sized bush frog (SVL = 18.0 mm), width of head broader than head length (HW = 6.9 mm; HL = 4.8 mm), flat dorsally; snout short and pointed, slightly protruding beyond mouth. Snout length is sub equal to diameter of eye (SL = 2.2 mm, EL = 1.9 mm). Canthus rostralis angular, loreal region flat. Interorbital space (IUE = 2.2 mm) flat and sub equal to upper eyelid (UEW = 1.5 mm). Interorbital space between posterior margins of the eyes 1.6 times that of anterior margins (IFE = 3.7, IBE = 5.9 mm). Nostrils oval, nearer to tip of snout. Weak symphysial knob. Pupil horizontal. Tympanum indistinct, rounded, barely visible behind the eye. Tongue bifid, granular without a papilla. Supratympanic fold from behind eye to shoulder. Relative length of fingers IColor in life. Dorsum with olive patches on a brown background with rufous tinge, distinct spinular tubercles behind the head; a mid dorsal ridge coloured off-white from the snout tip to vent (Fig 7 a); ventrally a distinct mid ventral white line (Fig 7 d), belly predominantly white with black irregular interconnected patches. Ventral pattern extends to femur tibia and tarsus, throat yellow finely speckled with brown. Iris with irregular golden speckles with maroon edges and a distinct brown band on the lower half and brown towards anterior and posterior edges. Etymology. The species is named after the spinular projections on the dorsum (Latin: echino = spiny). Natural history and distribution. All individuals were observed in grasslands on grass blades (30.8 cm, n= 5). The species was observed only in the higher elevations (1464���1864 m, n= 6) of Baba Budan Massif (Fig 1 & 2). Further surveys are needed to verify the presence of either conspecifics or close relatives of this lineage in the adjoining Massifs of Kudremukh and Pushpagiri., Published as part of Vijayakumar, S. P., Dinesh, K. P., Prabhu, Mrugank V. & Shanker, Kartik, 2014, Lineage delimitation and description of nine new species of bush frogs (Anura: Raorchestes, Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats Escarpment, pp. 451-488 in Zootaxa 3893 (4) on pages 468-470, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3893.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/287578

6. Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov. (Figures 2, 3, 9 & 10; Tables 2 & 3) Holotype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 875 (CESF 1406) (SVL 26.5 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and Varun R Torsekar in September 2011 from a disturbed forest fragment site (9.6064 N, 77.3033 E) located in a tea garden mosaic, Megamalai Massif (Fig 1), Peninsular India. Paratype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 876 (CESF 1251) (SVL 23.9), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar, Mrugank V. Prabhu and Mayavan in August 2010 from a disturbed forest fragment site (9.6064 N, 77.3033 E) located in a tea garden mosaic, Megamalai Massif (Fig 1), Peninsular India. Lineage diagnosis. Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov. can be diagnosed phylogenetically as a member of the Ochlandrae clade (Fig 3), showing sister relationship to Raorchestes chalazodes (Fig 10 a) (see discussion below). Though it exhibits shallow divergence (16 S— 1.2 %) with its allopatric sister, we diagnose this lineage and consider it for description based on its phylogenetic position (Ochlandrae clade), distinct morphology (coloration and skin pattern), geographical range and acoustic divergence (Fig 9, 10). Field diagnosis. Morphology. Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov. shows strong similarity with its sister lineage R. chalazodes in the morphometric variables considered. However, it exhibits very strong divergence in dorsum skin coloration and patterns (see Fig 9 a, 10 b). In Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov., the green dorsum coloration, with a lichen pattern, do not extend on to the hand and foot (vs. dorsal skin colour uniform green extending on to the hand and foot in R. chalazodes (Fig 10 a). It exhibits signatures of divergence in the limb length (shorter thigh/femur length (TL/SVL= 0.40, 0.40 – 0.40, n= 2) in Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov. in comparison to R. chalazodes (TL/SVL= 0.43, 0.40–0.45, n= 3) and shorter tibia/shank length (ShL/SVL= 0.42, 0.42–0.43, n= 2) in Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov. in comparison to R. chalazodes (ShL/SVL= 0.45, 0.44–0.45, n= 3). Additionally, the new species can be readily distinguished from all other close relatives by its iris pattern (characterized by very distinct small golden yellow patches on a dark background color) and also the dorsum coloration and skin pattern (Fig 9). Behaviour. Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov. shows divergence from its sister lineage in its shorter call length (0.59 ± 0.07 (N= 19) vs. 2.11 ± 0.42 (N= 43) in R. chalazodes), low number of pulses (4.95 ± 0.52 (N= 19) vs. 21.08 ± 3.47 (N= 24) in R. chalazodes, lower pulse rate (7.36 ± 0.62 (N= 19) vs. 9.99 ± 0.96 (N= 24) in R. chalazodes and greater dominant frequency (2675.82 ± 74.19 (N= 38) vs. 2523.78 ± 62.93 (N= 23) in R. chalazodes) (Fig 10). Considering the short overlap in the range of dominant frequency of the calls of the two lineages, we mainly use strong divergence in the temporal call characteristics as an additional evidence for recognizing and naming this lineage. Geography. Restricted to the Megamalai Massif (see natural history and distribution for details). Description of holotype (all measurements in mm). A small sized bush frog (SVL = 26.5 mm), width of head broader than head length (HW = 9.7 mm; HL = 6.7 mm), arched, flat dorsally; snout short and acuminate in total profile, slightly protruding beyond mouth. Snout length is sub equal to diameter of eye (SL = 2.6 mm, EL = 3.2 mm). Canthus rostralis rounded, loreal region slightly concave. Interorbital space (IUE = 2.7 mm) flat, slightly broader than upper eyelid (UEW = 1.7 mm). Interorbital space between posterior margins of the eyes 1.8 times that of anterior margins (IFE = 4.5, IBE = 8.2 mm). Nostrils oval, nearer to tip of snout. Weak symphysial knob. Pupil horizontal. Tympanum rather indistinct, rounded, barely visible behind the eye. Tongue bifid, granular with a distinct retractile papilla. Supratympanic fold from behind eye to shoulder. Relative length of fingersI Hind limb long, heels barely touch when folded at right angles to the body. Thigh/Femur (TL = 10.2 mm), sub equal to Shank/Tibia (ShL = 10.1 mm) and less than heel to tip of fourth toe (TFOL = 15.4 mm). Relative toe length I Color in life. Dorsum with a distinct lichen pattern with uniform green colouration (Fig 9 (a)), the pattern broken irregularly exposing the brown fleshy skin colouration; dorsal pattern extends to mid belly laterally and to dorsal surface of femur, tibia and lower tarsus. Canthus region fleshy brown with occasional green patches in few individuals. Dorsal parts of arms, fingers and disc colour similar to canthus region. Groin, anterior and posterior femur, tibia and tarsus flesh coloured. Iris dark brown with distinct irregular golden yellow patches. Etymology. The species is named after the ‘metallic yellow’ colour of the iris (Latin: flavin = yellow; oculus = eye). Natural history and distribution. A sub-canopy lineage (325 cm, n= 2), it is difficult to locate due to its ventriloquistic call and occurrence in the sub-canopy. Like other members of the Ochlandrae clade, it was also heard calling from Ochlandra grass patches. However, the two individuals whose descriptions are given were obtained from a highly disturbed forest fragment, on leaves of short trees (Ochlandra reeds, further observations are needed to verify the habitat association of this new lineage. It is a species of high elevations (1459–1569 m, n = 10), and restricted in distribution to the Upper Manalar Plateau, Megamalai Massif (Fig 1 & 2) in the southern Western Ghats. Based on our call recordings in the adjoining Anaimalai Massif (Fig 1), we anticipate a related lineage or an isolated population.

1. Raorchestes archeos sp. nov. (Figures 2, 3 & 4; Tables 2 & 3) Holotype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 865 (CESF 1190), a female (SVL 23.0 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar in August 2010 from a forest site (8.6894 N, 77.1870 E), Agasthyamalai Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Paratype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 866 (CESF 2060), a male (SVL 20.1), collected by K.P. Dinesh in May 2012 from a forest site (8.6914 N, 77.1823 E), Agasthyamalai Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Lineage diagnosis. Raorchestes archeos sp. nov. can be readily discerned on a phylogenetic tree (Fig 3), and is characterized by high genetic divergence (16 S��� 15.3 %) from its closest relatives R. chotta and Raorchestes blandus sp. nov. Also very distinct on major aspects of morphology from R. chotta and Raorchestes blandus sp. nov. (see field diagnosis). ������continued on the next page Species Reg.No. SEX TYD FLL HAL TFL Fdiii Fwiii TL/FL Shl/TL FOL TFOL HeTO Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 865 F 1.1 4.8 5.0 3.6 1.0 0.6 8.5 9.3 7.5 12.8 3 archeos sp. nov. CESF 1190 (HT) ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 866 M 0.9 4.2 4.7 8.9 0.9 0.5 7.9 7.7 7.6 12.9 3 CESF 2060 (PT) Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 867 M 1.4 5.9 6.3 4.1 1.4 0.7 11.2 12.1 9.7 16.0 3 aureus sp. nov. CESF 1165 (HT) ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 868 F 1.5 5.4 7.0 4.5 1.7 0.8 13.0 13.1 11.1 17.6 3 CESF 1164 (PT) Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 869 M 0.9 4.3 4.3 3.2 0.8 0.5 8.8 8.6 6.8 11.4 2 blandus sp. nov. CESF 104 (HT) ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 870 M 0.9 4.6 4.3 2.9 1.2 0.6 9.0 8.8 6.8 11.6 2 CESF 329 (PT) Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 871 M 1.0 3.7 5.2 3.4 0.9 0.7 7.4 6.6 7.3 11.4 1 echinatus sp. CESF 1412 (HT) nov. ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 872 M 1.3 3.7 4.5 3.8 0.7 0.6 7.4 6.4 7.2 10.7 1 CESF 1414 (PT) Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 873 M 2.2 8.6 10.7 7.4 2.7 1.4 17.0 18.2 16.0 26.0 2 emeraldi sp. CESF 1353 (HT) nov. ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 874 F 3.1 12.1 15.0 9.7 3.4 1.8 22.0 23.9 21.0 34.0 2 CESF 1365 (PT) Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 875 M 1.3 4.5 8.3 6.1 2.0 1.1 10.2 10.1 10.9 15.4 2 flaviocularis sp. CESF 1406 (HT) ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 876 F 1.3 5.9 6.1 5.0 1.9 1.2 9.6 10.0 9.7 14.9 2 CESF 1251 (PT) Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 877 F 1.1 5.1 7.0 5.1 1.4 0.9 10.7 11.1 9.7 15.1 2 indigo sp. nov. CESF 1437 (HT) ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 878 F 1.1 5.6 6.4 5.3 1.3 0.8 11.8 11.8 11.1 17.3 2 CESF 123 (PT) Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 879 M 0.8 3.3 4.4 3.1 0.8 0.5 7.8 7.5 6.1 10.2 2 leucolatus sp. CESF 1146 (HT) nov. ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 880 M 0.8 3.4 4.6 3.0 0.9 0.5 7.7 7.9 6.0 9.7 2 CESF 1147 (PT) Raorchestes ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 881 M NA 4.5 5.4 2.8 0.6 0.6 7.0 6.5 6.6 10.8 1 primarrumpfi CESF 1276 (HT) . nov. ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 882 M NA 3.8 4.3 2.4 0.6 0.5 6.5 6.3 6.2 9.6 1 CESF 441 (PT) (Holotype), PT (Paratype), M (Male), F (Female), PPL (Papilla; present= 1, absent=0), HeTo (Hells touch when hind limbs folded against the body; 1 =do not touch, barely touch, 3 =overlap) Field diagnosis. Morphology. The new species can be easily distinguished from both Raorchestes blandus sp. nov., and R. chotta by a combination of the following coloration characters (Fig 4); (1) skin on dorsum, lateral and ventral side smooth; (2) canthus rostralis, loreal region, region of supra tympanic fold and dorsal surface of hand black; (3) region of groin in front of thighs and vent with circular black spots; (4) ventrally mottled brown. Additionally, it exhibits strong morphological divergence from Raorchestes blandus sp. nov. and R. chotta in a number of size related variables. Raorchestes archeos sp. nov. can be differentiated from Raorchestes blandus sp. nov. in the large size of the adult males, SVL 20.6 (20.1���21.5, n= 3) (vs. 18.5 (18.0��� 19.5, n= 4) in Raorchestes blandus sp. nov.); longer head length, HL/SVL= 0.37 (0.36���0.37, n= 3) (vs. 0.30 (0.28���0.32, n= 4) in Raorchestes blandus sp. nov.); wider distance between upper eyelids, IUE/SVL= 0.16 (0.15���0.17, n= 3) (vs. 0.10 (0.09���0.11, n= 4) in Raorchestes blandus sp. nov.); longer snout length SL/SVL= 0.17 (0.15���0.18, n= 3) (vs. 0.14 (0.13���0.15, n= 4) in Raorchestes blandus sp. nov.); Raorchestes archeos sp. nov. can be differentiated from R. chotta in the size of the adult males, SVL 20.6 (20.1���21.5, n= 3) (vs. adult male SVL 16.6 (16.0��� 17.2, n= 7) in R. chotta); wider distance between upper eyelids, IUE/SVL= 0.16 (0.15���0.17, n= 3) (vs. ratio of IUE/SVL= 0.13 (0.13���0.14, n= 7) in R. chotta); shorter length of the tibia, ShL/SVL= 0.45 (0.38���0.49, n= 3) (vs. ratio of ShL/SVL= 0.54 (0.52���0.57, n= 7) in R. chotta); shorter femur length, TL/SVL= 0.46 (0.391���0.499, n= 3) (vs. ratio of TL/SVL= 0.53 (0.505���0.556, n= 7) in R. chotta). Description of holotype (all measurements in mm). A medium sized bush frog (SVL = 23.0 mm), width of head broader than head length (HW = 9.5 mm; HL = 7.7 mm), flat dorsally; snout acutely pointed in total profile, slightly protruding beyond mouth. Snout length is sub equal to diameter of eye (SL = 3.3 mm, EL = 3.7 mm). Canthus rostralis angular, loreal region concave. Interorbital space (IUE = 2.7 mm) flat and sub equal to upper eyelid (UEW = 2.1 mm). Interorbital space between posterior margins of the eyes 1.6 times that of anterior margins (IFE = 4.9, IBE = 8.0 mm). Nostrils oval, nearer to tip of snout. Weak symphysial knob. Pupil horizontal. Tympanum distinct, small, rounded, 3.4 times less than the eye diameter (TYD = 1.1 mm). Tongue bifid, granular without papilla. Supratympanic fold from behind eye to shoulder. Relative length of fingers IColor in life. Dorsum maroon, light brown laterally with a horizontal light brown band between the orbits; canthus darker, black and lower lip with white bands. Lower half of arms black. Ventrally dark with white scattered speckled patches, distinct towards upper half of abdomen, ventral part of femur, tibia and tarsus dark, distinct black blotches towards the lateral sides of the groin. Distinct small black spot behind fore arm and a black spot at the inguinal region. Vent and posterior femur darker. Iris golden brown with a brown wash, prominent towards the anterior and posterior sides of the black pupil which is edged with varying rufous shades. Etymology. The species is named after its deep divergence from its closest relatives (Greek: archeo = ���ancient���). Natural history and distribution. The species is an inhabitant of the mid-elevation (840���1071 m, n= 7) wet evergreen forests of the Agasthyamalai Massif and observed from a site (9.0392 N, 77.1191 E) in Devarmalai Massif, which currently forms the northern limit of its range. One could look for additional populations in the Periyar plateau (Fig 1)., Published as part of Vijayakumar, S. P., Dinesh, K. P., Prabhu, Mrugank V. & Shanker, Kartik, 2014, Lineage delimitation and description of nine new species of bush frogs (Anura: Raorchestes, Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats Escarpment, pp. 451-488 in Zootaxa 3893 (4) on pages 460-464, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3893.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/287578

5. Raorchestes emeraldi sp. nov. (Figures 2, 3 & 8; Tables 2 & 3) Holotype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 873 (CESF 1353), an adult male (SVL 36.5 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and Saunak Pal in August 2011 from a site (10.3690 N, 76.9948 E) in a wet evergreen forest fragment, Valparai Plateau, Anaimalai Massif (Fig 1), Peninsular India. Paratype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 874 (CESF 1365), an adult female (SVL 50.5 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and Saunak Pal in August 2011 from a site (10.3919 N, 76.9942 E) in a wet evergreen forest fragment, Valparai Plateau, Anaimalai Massif (Fig 1), Peninsular India. Lineage diagnosis. Raorchestes emeraldi sp. nov. can be diagnosed by its affinity to the Hassanensis clade (Fig 3) and in having moderate levels (16 S��� 3.5 %) of divergence from its sister lineages R. ponmudi and R. hassanensis. Morphologically, it shows differences in the dorsum coloration (uniform green), groin patterns and iris coloration (Fig 8). Of the known species of Raorchestes, this species was found to be of the largest (50.5 mm: female). Phylogenetic position and morphological distinctness are the two axes on which this lineage is diagnosed. Field diagnosis. Morphology. Raorchestes emeraldi sp. nov. resembles its sister lineage R. ponmudi in overall morphometric characters, however it exhibits strong divergence in coloration from its sister lineages, R. hassanensis and R. ponmudi. It could be distinguished in having green dorsum (Fig 8 a) (vs. dorsum with varying shades of brown in R. ponmudi (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009)); region of groin, front and back of thighs, under side of tibia and front of metatarsal with brown and yellow reticulated pattern (vs. posterior surface of thighs light chocolate brown vermiculated with grey patches of variable size in R. ponmudi (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009); Additionally new species can be differentiated from other related congeners by the following combination of characters; (1) large adult size (SVL 36.5���50.5 mm, n= 2); (2) head width larger than head length (HW 15.2 ���21.0 mm & HL 12.9���16.2 mm); (3) snout sub acuminate, sub equal to eye length (SL 5.0��� 6.5 mm & EL 5.1���6.9 mm); (4) skin on dorsum lateral side smooth and ventral region granular; (5) dorsum green with minute yellow spots. Geography. Restricted to the Anaimalai Massif (see natural history and distribution for details). Description of holotype (all measurements in mm). A large sized bush frog (SVL = 36.5 mm), width of head broader than head length (HW = 15.2 mm; HL = 12.9 mm), flat dorsally; snout short and sub acuminate, slightly protruding beyond mouth. Snout length is sub equal to diameter of eye (SL = 5.0 mm, EL = 5.1 mm). Canthus rostralis angular rounded, loreal region slightly concave. Interorbital space (IUE = 4.0 mm) flat and equal to upper eyelid (UEW = 3.3 mm). Interorbital space between posterior margins of the eyes 1.9 times that of anterior margins (IFE = 7.0, IBE = 13.3 mm). Nostrils oval and nearer to the tip of the snout. Moderate symphysial knob. Pupil horizontal. Tympanum moderate, rounded, visible behind the eye, 2.3 times less than the eye diameter (TYD = 2.2 mm). Tongue bifid, granular with a papilla. Supratympanic fold from behind eye to shoulder. Relative length of fingers IColor in life. Dorsum uniform green with scattered yellow spots (Fig 8 a); green colouration extending to canthus, arm up to ��th of outer finger (rest of the fingers flesh coloured, finely speckled with brown), surface of femur, tibia, tarsus and base of outer two toes. Armpits are fleshy, purplish with fine brown specks. Upper lip golden white, lower lip and throat region iridescent off white. Lateral part of mid belly with yellow spots on a dark brown background. Groin, anterior and posterior femur with distinct yellow blotches on a dark brown background. Outer posterior orbital ring bluish green, upper edge of iris dark maroon, interior of iris golden brown with fine markings radiating towards the outer edge. Outer edges of the iris with a green wash (Fig 8 b). Etymology. The species is named after its dominant dorsum colour ���emerald���. Natural history and distribution. We discovered this species from a rainforest fragment at the eastern edge of the Valparai plateau. It appears to be a forest species, occurring in the higher elevation (1249���1488, n = 7) wet evergreen forests of the Anaimalai Massif (Fig 1 & 2). It replaces R. ponmudi, a common species of the low and mid-elevations (mean ~ 900 m, n= 77) of southern parts of the Western Ghats. We suspect a narrow zone of overlap between these species around 1200���1400 m in the Valparai plateau., Published as part of Vijayakumar, S. P., Dinesh, K. P., Prabhu, Mrugank V. & Shanker, Kartik, 2014, Lineage delimitation and description of nine new species of bush frogs (Anura: Raorchestes, Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats Escarpment, pp. 451-488 in Zootaxa 3893 (4) on pages 470-472, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3893.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/287578, {"references":["Biju, S. D & Bossuyt, F. (2009) Systematics and phylogeny of Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Anura, Rhacophoridae) in the Western Ghats of India, with descriptions of 12 new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 155, 374 - 444. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.1111 / j. 1096 - 3642.2008.00466. x"]}

7. Raorchestes indigo sp. nov. (Figures 2, 3 & 11; Tables 2 & 3) Holotype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 877 (CESF 1437), a female (SVL 25.7 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and K.P. Dinesh in September 2011 from a stunted forest site (13.1333 N, 75.2704 E), Kudremukh Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Paratype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 878 (CESF 123), a female (SVL 24.4 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and M.S. Chaitra in October 2008 from a stunted forest site (13.1347 N, 75.2705 E) Kudremukh Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Lineage diagnosis. Raorchestes indigo sp. nov. could be readily diagnosed by its deep divergence (16 S��� 6.4 %) on the phylogenetic tree (Fig 3), with an unresolved relationship status within clade N. It is morphologically distinct (Fig 11) from all other members of the subclade N. It is geographically restricted to the high elevations of the Kudremukh Massif. The lineage is diagnosed based on four axes: phylogenetic position, genetic divergence, morphological distinctness and geographical distribution. Field diagnosis. Morphology. There are no close relatives (within the clade N) that could be confused with this lineage. All can be readily distinguished by a combination of the following characteristics. (1) Size (SVL 24.3���25.7 mm, n= 5); (2) Dorsum greenish with irregular black and yellow spots/blotches; (3) ventrally uniform bluish white (Fig 11 (d)) (4) indigo coloration of the groin, posterior arm pits, anterior and posterior femur, tibia and tarsus (unique among the species of Raorchestes, Fig 11 (d)); (5) iris silvery brown (Fig 11 (b)). Geography. Restricted in distribution to the high elevations of the Kudremukh Massif (see natural history and distribution for details). Description of holotype (all measurements in mm). A small sized bush frog (SVL = 25.7 mm), width of head broader than head length (HW = 10.1 mm; HL = 7.0 mm), flat dorsally; snout acutely pointed, slightly protruding beyond mouth. Snout length is sub equal to diameter of eye (SL = 3.2 mm, EL = 2.8 mm). Canthus rostralis angular, loreal region flat. Interorbital space (IUE = 3.2 mm) flat and broader than upper eyelid (UEW = 2.3 mm). Interorbital space between posterior margins of the eyes 1.7 times that of anterior margins (IFE = 5.2, IBE = 8.9 mm). Nostrils oval, nearer to tip of snout. Weak symphysial knob. Pupil horizontal. Tympanum indistinct, barely visible behind the eye. Tongue bifid, granular with a retractile papilla. Supratympanic fold from behind eye to shoulder. Relative length of fingers IColor in life. Dorsum, canthal region, lateral parts distinctly green with bluish tinge; posterior arm pits, groin, anterior and posterior femur, tibia and tarsus distinctly indigo varying in lighter to darker (at groin) shades. Dorsum with irregular fine black blotches, denser towards head region. Ventrally uniform bluish white (Fig 11 d), throat white with yellow at the lip margins. Iris with a distinct silvery background, coarsely speckled with shades of brown. Etymology. The species is named after the unique ���indigo��� colour of the groin and other under parts of the body. The specific epithet ��� indigo ��� is used as a noun in apposition to generic name. Natural history and distribution. A range restricted species, observed in the high elevation (> 1700 m) stunted forests around the highest peak in the Kudremukh Massif (Fig 1 & 2). All the individuals were observed on the forest floor on leaves (avg. 116 cm above ground level, n= 6). Further surveys are needed to locate populations in other high elevations zones within Kudremukh Massif and also to explore the presence of any allied lineages in the adjacent Pushpagiri Massif., Published as part of Vijayakumar, S. P., Dinesh, K. P., Prabhu, Mrugank V. & Shanker, Kartik, 2014, Lineage delimitation and description of nine new species of bush frogs (Anura: Raorchestes, Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats Escarpment, pp. 451-488 in Zootaxa 3893 (4) on pages 475-477, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3893.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/287578

3. Raorchestes blandus sp. nov. (Figures 2, 3 & 6; Tables 2 & 3) Holotype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 869 (CESF 104), an adult male (SVL 18.4 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and Mayavan during August 2008, from a fragmented lowland wet evergreen forest site (10.1284 N, 76.7588 E) on the western side of the Anaimalai Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Paratype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 870 (CESF 329), an adult male (SVL 19.1 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and Mayavan in June 2009 from an evergreen forest site (8.6667 N, 77.1833 E) in the Parambikulam protected area, western slopes of Anaimalai Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Lineage diagnosis. Raorchestes blandus sp. nov. can be readily discerned on a phylogenetic tree (Fig 3), and is characterized by high genetic divergence (16 S��� 14.1 %) from its close relative R. chotta. Morphologically, it could be confused with R. chotta, but could be discerned using their morphological characteristics (See Field diagnosis). It is also very distinct on major aspects of morphology and coloration from Raorchestes archeos sp. nov (Fig 4, also see field diagnosis section of Raorchestes archeos sp. nov.). Field diagnosis. Morphology. Raorchestes blandus sp. nov. could be superficially confused with Raorchestes chotta. However Raorchestes blandus sp. nov. can be distinguished from R. chotta in the larger male adult size of SVL 18.5 (18.0��� 19.5, n= 4) (vs. 16.6 (16.0��� 17.2, n= 7) in R. chotta); shorter head length, HL/SVL= 0.30 (0.28���0.32, n= 4) (vs. HL/SVL= 0.38 (0.36���0.41, n= 7) in R. chotta); Head width (HW= 7.5, 7.2���7.7, n= 4) longer than head length (HL= 5.6, 5.1 ���6.0, n= 4) (vs. head width (HW= 6.5, 6.0��� 6.9, n= 7) equal to head length (HL= 6.4, 5.8���6.7, n= 7) in R. chotta); shorter snout length, SL/SVL= 0.14 (0.13���0.15, n= 4) (vs. SL/SVL= 0.17 (0.16���0.18, n= 7) in R. chotta). Presence of rufous irregular glandular patches on the dorsal surface of skin in the shoulder, posterior side of the body, and in the joints of arms (vs. absence of glandular patches in R. chotta (Biju and Bossuyt 2009)). Ecology. Restricted to the under-storey in wet evergreen forests. Geography. This species is restricted in distribution to the low and medium elevations of the western slopes of Anaimalai massif (see natural history and distribution for details). Description of holotype (all measurements in mm). A small sized bush frog (SVL = 18.4 mm), width of head broader than head length (HW = 7.7 mm; HL = 5.1 mm), flat dorsally; snout acutely pointed in total profile, slightly protruding beyond mouth. Snout length is sub equal to diameter of eye (SL = 2.4 mm, EL = 2.7 mm). Canthus rostralis angular, loreal region flat. Interorbital space (IUE = 2.0 mm) flat and equal to upper eyelid (UEW = 2.0 mm). Interorbital space between posterior margins of the eyes 1.8 times that of anterior margins (IFE = 3.6, IBE = 6.4 mm). Nostrils oval, nearer to tip of snout. Weak symphysial knob. Pupil horizontal. Tympanum minute, rounded, barely visible behind the eye. Tongue bifid, granular with papilla. Supratympanic fold from behind eye to shoulder. Relative length of fingers IColor in life. Dorsum rufous or brown with irregular dark brown blotches; small orange/rufous glandular patches on the head (Fig 6 a), shoulder, elbow, on the dorsum, posterior part of back and on the finger; throat finely speckled with brown; fore and hind arm barred. Skin on dorsum finely granular. Etymology. The species named after its pleasant (Latin: bland =pleasant) call notes. Common in the lowland wet forests of Anaimalai. Natural history and distribution. A forest dwelling lineage, it is usually observed calling from understory shrubs. The distribution ranges from low to mid elevations (45���806 m, n= 13) of Anaimalai Massif (Fig 1 & 2). Current data suggests that there is no overlap in the geographical range of Raorchestes blandus sp. nov. with its close relatives R. chotta and Raorchestes archeos sp. nov. An additional population that resembles this lineage was encountered in the medium and low elevations of Periyar Plateau. Considering a potential zone of overlap with the northern range R. chotta, we reserve the identity of this population for further verification., Published as part of Vijayakumar, S. P., Dinesh, K. P., Prabhu, Mrugank V. & Shanker, Kartik, 2014, Lineage delimitation and description of nine new species of bush frogs (Anura: Raorchestes, Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats Escarpment, pp. 451-488 in Zootaxa 3893 (4) on pages 466-468, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3893.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/287578, {"references":["Biju, S. D & Bossuyt, F. (2009) Systematics and phylogeny of Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Anura, Rhacophoridae) in the Western Ghats of India, with descriptions of 12 new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 155, 374 - 444. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.1111 / j. 1096 - 3642.2008.00466. x"]}

2. Raorchestes aureus sp. nov. (Figures 2, 3 & 5; Tables 2 & 3) Holotype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 867 (CESF 1165), an adult male (SVL 24.8 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and Mrugank V. Prabhu in July 2010 from a high elevation site (10.9452 N, 76.6446 E) in Elivalmalai Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Paratype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 868 (CESF 1164), an adult female (SVL 28.3), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and Mrugank V. Prabhu in July 2010 from a high elevation site (10.9452 N, 76.6446 E) in Elivalmalai Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Lineage diagnosis. Raorchestes aureus sp. nov. can be diagnosed as a deeply divergent (16 S��� 7.3 %) lineage nested within a larger clade N (Fig 3). The lineage is isolated on the high elevations of Elivalmalai Massif (Fig 1 & 2). Morphologically, it shows strong signatures of divergence from other similar relatives within clade N (see below). We use all the above criteria, genetic divergence, geographical range and morphology to diagnose this lineage. The relatives that potentially overlap in morphology and hence could be confused with this lineage within the clade N are discussed below. Field diagnosis. Morphology. Raorchestes aureus sp. nov. could be confused with R. chromasynchysi which occurs in sympatry (see remarks). However, the new species can be differentiated based on the shorter thigh length, TL/SVL= 0.45 (0.44���0.45, n= 4) (vs. TL/SVL= 0.52 (0.50���0.54, n= 3) in R. chromasynchysi); shorter tibia length, ShL/SVL= 0.46 (0.45���0.47, n= 4) (vs. ShL/SVL= 0.51 (0.50���0.51, n= 3) in R. chromasynchysi); in having a distinct golden iris (vs. silvery to light brown in R. chromasynchysi); dorsal coloration shades of brown (vs. very variable from shades of brown to green in R. chromasynchysi); anterior and posterior region of thigh (femur) characterized by distinct or faint cross bar with alternating darker and lighter shades of brown (vs. plain coloration on the posterior thigh and dark coloration with yellow blotches on the anterior thigh in R. chromasynchysi); lateral sides of irregular mottling of brown/yellow and green extending from groin to base of supratympanic fold (vs. distinct separation of dorsal and ventral coloration without any such mottling). Geography. Current data suggests a narrow restricted range to the high elevation of Elivalmalai Massif in the Western Ghats (see natural history and distribution for details). Description of holotype (all measurements in mm). A small sized bush frog (SVL = 24.8 mm), width of head broader than head length (HW = 10.3 mm; HL = 8.3 mm), flat dorsally; snout acutely pointed in total profile, slightly protruding beyond mouth. Snout length is sub equal to diameter of eye (SL = 3.4 mm, EL = 3.7 mm). Canthus rostralis angular, loreal region slightly concave. Interorbital space (IUE = 2.9 mm) flat and sub equal to upper eyelid (UEW = 2.6 mm). Interorbital space between posterior margins of the eyes 1.8 times that of anterior margins (IFE = 5.0, IBE = 9.1 mm). Nostrils oval, nearer to tip of snout. Weak symphysial knob. Pupil horizontal. Tympanum distinct, rounded, small, barely visible behind the eye. Tongue bifid, granular with a papilla. Supratympanic fold from behind eye to shoulder. Relative length of fingers IColor in life. Limbs faintly cross-barred, pattern extending towards the anterior and posterior parts of the thigh. Lateral sides characterized by irregular mottling of yellow and light green extending from groin to base of supratympanic fold. Ventral parts of head, body, hand and foot mottled, but more pronounced at the region of belly and throat. Iris distinct golden with brown edged coarse speckles around the pupil, visible even in the preserved specimens. Etymology. The species is named after the consistent golden iris coloration (Latin: aureus = golden). Natural history and distribution. All the individuals were collected from forest edges in a grassland site and all males located were found calling at the ground level. It appears to be a range restricted species, recorded from a single high elevation (1524 m) site in Elivalmalai Massif (Fig 1 & 2). The elevational range within Elivalmalai needs additional field sampling. Remarks. R. chromasynchysi was known only from the type locality (Biju and Bossuyt 2009) and a recent record from north of its type locality (Dinesh and Radhakrishnan, 2012). We have uncovered multiple potential lineages across various Massifs and hill ranges in the central Western Ghats (see above under sub-clade composition). For the above quantitative comparison, we have used individuals from a shallow divergent lineage that overlap with the range of Raorchestes aureus sp. nov., Published as part of Vijayakumar, S. P., Dinesh, K. P., Prabhu, Mrugank V. & Shanker, Kartik, 2014, Lineage delimitation and description of nine new species of bush frogs (Anura: Raorchestes, Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats Escarpment, pp. 451-488 in Zootaxa 3893 (4) on pages 464-466, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3893.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/287578, {"references":["Biju, S. D & Bossuyt, F. (2009) Systematics and phylogeny of Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Anura, Rhacophoridae) in the Western Ghats of India, with descriptions of 12 new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 155, 374 - 444. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.1111 / j. 1096 - 3642.2008.00466. x","Dinesh, K. P., Radhakrishnan, C., Gururaja, K. V. & Palot, M. J. (2012) Range extension of Raorchestes chromasynchysi (Biju and Bossuyt) (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae) in Western Ghats, India. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, 110, 31 - 35."]}

9. Raorchestes primarrumpfi sp. nov. (Figures 2, 3, 13, 14 & 15; Tables 2 & 3) Holotype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 881 (CESF 1276), a male (SVL 21.0 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and Mayavan June 2011 from a grassland site (11.2331 N, 76.5443 E), Nilgiri Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Paratype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 882 (CESF 441), a male (SVL 19.9 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar, August 2009 from a grassland site (11.2331 N, 76.5443 E), Nilgiri Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Lineage diagnosis. Raorchestes primarrumpfi sp. nov. can be phylogenetically diagnosed as belonging to the Tinniens clade (Fig 3), showing a well supported sister relationship with an another unidentified lineage occurring in sympatry. Despite its shallow genetic divergence (1���2 % on 16 S gene) from its sympatric sister lineage, it exhibits high divergence in morphological characteristics both in the multivariate morphological space (Fig 14) as well in the dorsal and ventral coloration (Fig 13). Iris coloration and patterns (Fig 13 (b)) were also found to show distinct differences from its sister lineage. Field diagnosis. Raorchestes primarrumpfi sp. nov. can be distinguished from the related congeners by the following combination of characters. Morphology. Raorchestes primarrumpfi sp. nov. can be distinguished by its (1) shorter tibia length (ShL/ SVL= 0.32 (0.31���0.35, n= 5) (vs. ShL/SVL= 0.45 (0.43���46, n= 3) in the unidentified lineage and ShL/SVL= 0.41 (0.41���42, n= 3) in R. tinniens); (2) shorter thigh length (TL/SVL = 0.35, n= 5) (vs. TL/SVL= 0.45, n= 3 in the unidentified lineage and TL/SVL= 0.44, n= 3 in R. tinniens); (3) smaller size (males) (SVL= 20 (18.4 ���21.0, n= 5) (vs. 22 (21���22.8, n= 3) in the unidentified lineage); (4) shorter head length (HL/SVL= 0.26 (0.24���0.28, n= 5) (vs. 0.37 (0.35���0.38, n= 3) in R. tinniens; (5) shorter snout length (SL/SVL= 0.11 (0.10���0.13, n= 5) (vs. 0.15, n= 3) in the unidentified lineage); (6) unique iris coloration, lower part dark maroon and upper half speckled with iridescent golden and silvery colour (vs. uniform brown in the unidentified lineage and uniform brown with golden speckles in R. tinniens; (7) dorsum largely granular, dark olive and with a consistent pattern of three distinct maroon longitudinal discontinuous stripes (vs. highly variable dorsum coloration with no distinct pattern in the related lineages); (8) two distinct maroon blotches on the eyelids extending slightly into inter-orbital space (vs. absent in the other lineages) (9) ventral coloration is white with a bluish wash towards sides (vs. shades of yellow, areolate skin, semi-transparent with yellow blotches in some individuals and shades of yellow with black spots in R. tinniens (Biju and Bossuyt 2009)). Geography. Restricted in range to the very high elevations of the Nilgiri Massif (see natural history and distribution for details). Overlaps broadly in its geographical range with an unidentified lineage and R. signatus. Ecology. Observed to be restricted to grasslands and swamps. Description of holotype (all measurements in mm). A small sized squat bush frog (SVL = 21.0 mm), width of head broader than head length (HW = 7.5 mm; HL = 5.5 mm), arched, flat dorsally; snout rounded in total profile, slightly protruding beyond mouth. Snout length is equal to diameter of eye (SL = 2.5 mm, EL = 2.4 mm). Canthus rostralis rounded, loreal region slightly concave. Interorbital space (IUE = 2.2 mm) flat and sub equal to upper eyelid (UEW = 1.8 mm). Interorbital space between posterior margins of the eyes 1.9 times that of anterior margins (IFE = 3.5, IBE = 6.6 mm). Nostrils oval, nearer to tip of snout. Weak symphysial knob. Pupil horizontal. Tympanum indistinct. Tongue bifid, granular with a papilla. Supratympanic fold from behind eye to shoulder. Relative length of fingers IColor in life. Dorsum, background olive with a dark maroon longitudinal disconnected striped pattern, the pattern extending on to outer two fingers on the forelimb and femur, tibia, tarsus and outer toe on the hind limb. Canthus ridge darker extending to the tip of snout and flesh coloured, with olive patches, in a few individuals. Laterally, behind shoulders a distinct flesh coloured patch hidden in resting position; bluish white small blotches along the lateral sides and distinct blotches towards groin and anterior femur on a maroon background, this pattern is variable across individuals. Ventrally white, with a light bluish wash towards lateral edges. Ventral parts of tibia and tarsus with elongated white patches on a fleshy background. Iris, lower 1 / 3 rd dark maroon, upper half speckled with iridescent golden and silvery colour and outer posterior orbital ring blue. Etymology. Derived and modified from ��� Primarrumpf���, a German term used by geomorphologists to refer to remnant primitive surfaces of Gondwanaland. In the Western Ghats Escarpment, these surfaces occur in the Nilgiri and Anaimalai massifs. Natural history and distribution. All the calling males were observed amidst dense grass clumps and herbs in the montane grasslands and the detection of this species was higher in swampy grasslands (Fig 15). It exhibits a narrow geographical range and is restricted in distribution to the montane zone (2212���2359 m, n= 13) towards the western edge of the Nilgiri Massif (Fig 1 & 2). The higher elevations of the Camels Hump Massif, adjacent to the Nilgiri Massif, might hold a relative of this lineage and needs further exploration. Sl. No Species 1 Raorchestes agasthyaensis Zachariah, Dinesh, Kunhikrishnan, Das, Raju, Radhakrishnan, Palot and Kalesh, 2011 2 Raorchestes akroparallagi (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009) 3 Raorchestes anili (Biju and Bossuyt, 2006) 4 Raorchestes archaeos sp. nov. 5 Raorchestes aureus sp. nov. 6 Raorchestes beddomii (Gunther, 1876) 7 Raorchestes blandus sp. nov. 8 Raorchestes bobingeri (Biju and Bossuyt, 2005) 9 Raorchestes bombayensis (Annandale, 1919) 10 Raorchestes chalazodes (Gunther, 1876) 11 Raorchestes charius (Rao, 1937) 12 Raorchestes chlorosomma (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009) 13 Raorchestes chotta (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009) 14 Raorchestes chromasynchysi (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009) 15 Raorchestes coonoorensis (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009) 16 Raorchestes crustai Zachariah, Dinesh, Kunhikrishnan, Das, Raju, Radhakrishnan, Palot and Kalesh, 2011 17 Raorchestes dubois (Biju and Bossuyt, 2006) 18 Raorchestes echinatus sp. nov. 19 Raorchestes emeraldi sp. nov. 20 Raorchestes flaviventris (Boulenger, 1882) * 21 Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov. 22 Raorchestes ghatei Padhye, Sayyed, Jadhav and Dahanukar, 2013 23 Raorchestes glandulosus (Jerdon, 1853) 24 Raorchestes graminirupes (Biju and Bossuyt, 2005) 25 Raorchestes griet (Bossuyt, 2002) 26 Raorchestes hassanensis (Rao, 1937) # 27 Raorchestes indigo sp. nov. 28 Raorchestes jayarami (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009) 29 Raorchestes johnceei Zachariah, Dinesh, Kunhikrishnan, Das, Raju, Radhakrishnan, Palot and Kalesh, 2011 30 Raorchestes kadalarensis Zachariah, Dinesh, Kunhikrishnan, Das, Raju, Radhakrishnan, Palot and Kalesh, 2011 31 Raorchestes kaikatti (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009) 32 Raorchestes kakachi Seshadri, Gururaja and Aravind, 2012 33 Raorchestes leucolatus sp. nov. 34 Raorchestes luteolus (Kuramoto and Joshy, 2003) 35 Raorchestes manohari Zachariah, Dinesh, Kunhikrishnan, Das, Raju, Radhakrishnan, Palot and Kalesh, 2011 36 Raorchestes marki (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009) 37 Raorchestes montanus (Jerdon, 1875) # ......continued on the next page Sl. No Species 38 Raorchestes munnarensis (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009) 39 Raorchestes nerostagona (Biju and Bossuyt, 2005) 40 Raorchestes ochlandrae (Gururaja, Dinesh, Palot, Radhakrishnan and Ramachandra, 2007) 41 Raorchestes ponmudi (Biju and Bossuyt, 2005) 42 Raorchestes primarrumpfi sp. nov. 43 Raorchestes ravii Zachariah, Dinesh, Kunhikrishnan, Das, Raju, Radhakrishnan, Palot and Kalesh, 2011 44 Raorchestes resplendens Biju, Shouche, Dubois, Dutta and Bossuyt, 2010 45 Raorchestes signatus (Boulenger, 1882) 46 Raorchestes sushili (Biju and Bossuyt, 2009) 47 Raorchestes theuerkaufi Zachariah, Dinesh, Kunhikrishnan, Das, Raju, Radhakrishnan, Palot and Kalesh, 2011 48 Raorchestes thodai Zachariah, Dinesh, Kunhikrishnan, Das, Raju, Radhakrishnan, Palot and Kalesh, 2011 * 49 Raorchestes tinniens (Jerdon, 1853) 50 Raorchestes travancoricus (Boulenger, 1891) 51 Raorchestes tuberohumerus (Kuramoto and Joshy, 2003) 52 Raorchestes uthamani Zachariah, Dinesh, Kunhikrishnan, Das, Raju, Radhakrishnan, Palot and Kalesh, 2011 * species not included in the phylogenetic tree; # details of revalidation will be dealt elsewhere (under preparation), Published as part of Vijayakumar, S. P., Dinesh, K. P., Prabhu, Mrugank V. & Shanker, Kartik, 2014, Lineage delimitation and description of nine new species of bush frogs (Anura: Raorchestes, Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats Escarpment, pp. 451-488 in Zootaxa 3893 (4) on pages 479-484, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3893.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/287578, {"references":["Biju, S. D & Bossuyt, F. (2009) Systematics and phylogeny of Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Anura, Rhacophoridae) in the Western Ghats of India, with descriptions of 12 new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 155, 374 - 444. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.1111 / j. 1096 - 3642.2008.00466. x","Zachariah, A., Dinesh, K. P., Kunhikrishnan, E., Das, S., Raju, D., Radhakrishnan, C., Palot, M. J. & Kalesh, S. (2011) Nine new species of frogs of the genus Raorchestes (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae) from southern Western Ghats, India. BioSystematica, 5 (1), 25 - 48.","Biju, S. D. & Bossuyt, F. (2006) Two new species of Philautus (Anura, Ranidae, Rhacophorinae) from the Western Ghats, India. Amphibia-Reptilia, 27, 1 - 9. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.1163 / 156853806776051985","Annandale, N. (1919) The fauna of certain small streams in the Bombay Presidency: Some frogs from streams in the Bombay Presidency. Records of the Indian Museum, 16, 109 - 161.","Rao, C. R. N. (1937) On some new forms of Batrachia from South India. Proceedings of Indian Academy of Sciences, 6, 387 - 427.","Padhye, A., Sayyed, A., Jadhav, A. & Dahanukar, N. (2013) Raorchestes ghatei, a new species of shrub frog (Anura: Rhacophoridae) From the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 5, 4913 - 4931. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.11609 / jott. o 3702.4913 - 31","Seshadri, K., Gururaja, K. & Aravind, N. (2012) A new species of Raorchestes (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae) from midelevation evergreen forests of the southern Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa, 3410, 19 - 34.","Kuramoto, M. & Joshi, S. H. (2003) Two new species of the genus Philautus (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats, Southwestern India. Current Herpetology, 22, 51 - 60. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.5358 / hsj. 22.51","Gururaja, K. V., Dinesh, K. P., Palot, M. J., Radhakrishnan, C. & Ramachandra, T. V. (2007) A new species of Philautus Gistel (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae) from southern Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa, 1621, 1 - 16.","Biju, S. D, Shouche, Y., Dubois, A., Dutta, S. & Bossuyt, F. (2010) A ground-dwelling rhacophorid frog from the highest mountain peak of the Western Ghats of India. Current Science, 98, 1119 - 1125.","Boulenger, G. (1891) Description of a new species of frog obtained by Mr. HS Ferguson in Travancore, South India. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 6, 450."]}

7. Raorchestes indigo sp. nov. (Figures 2, 3 & 11; Tables 2 & 3) Holotype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 877 (CESF 1437), a female (SVL 25.7 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and K.P. Dinesh in September 2011 from a stunted forest site (13.1333 N, 75.2704 E), Kudremukh Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Paratype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 878 (CESF 123), a female (SVL 24.4 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and M.S. Chaitra in October 2008 from a stunted forest site (13.1347 N, 75.2705 E) Kudremukh Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Lineage diagnosis. Raorchestes indigo sp. nov. could be readily diagnosed by its deep divergence (16 S— 6.4 %) on the phylogenetic tree (Fig 3), with an unresolved relationship status within clade N. It is morphologically distinct (Fig 11) from all other members of the subclade N. It is geographically restricted to the high elevations of the Kudremukh Massif. The lineage is diagnosed based on four axes: phylogenetic position, genetic divergence, morphological distinctness and geographical distribution. Field diagnosis. Morphology. There are no close relatives (within the clade N) that could be confused with this lineage. All can be readily distinguished by a combination of the following characteristics. (1) Size (SVL 24.3–25.7 mm, n= 5); (2) Dorsum greenish with irregular black and yellow spots/blotches; (3) ventrally uniform bluish white (Fig 11 (d)) (4) indigo coloration of the groin, posterior arm pits, anterior and posterior femur, tibia and tarsus (unique among the species of Raorchestes, Fig 11 (d)); (5) iris silvery brown (Fig 11 (b)). Geography. Restricted in distribution to the high elevations of the Kudremukh Massif (see natural history and distribution for details). Description of holotype (all measurements in mm). A small sized bush frog (SVL = 25.7 mm), width of head broader than head length (HW = 10.1 mm; HL = 7.0 mm), flat dorsally; snout acutely pointed, slightly protruding beyond mouth. Snout length is sub equal to diameter of eye (SL = 3.2 mm, EL = 2.8 mm). Canthus rostralis angular, loreal region flat. Interorbital space (IUE = 3.2 mm) flat and broader than upper eyelid (UEW = 2.3 mm). Interorbital space between posterior margins of the eyes 1.7 times that of anterior margins (IFE = 5.2, IBE = 8.9 mm). Nostrils oval, nearer to tip of snout. Weak symphysial knob. Pupil horizontal. Tympanum indistinct, barely visible behind the eye. Tongue bifid, granular with a retractile papilla. Supratympanic fold from behind eye to shoulder. Relative length of fingers I Hind limb long, heels barely touch when folded at right angles to the body. Thigh/Femur (TL = 10.7 mm) sub equal to Shank/Tibia (ShL = 11.1 mm); sub equal to foot (FOL = 9.7 mm) and less than heel to tip of fourth toe (TFOL = 15.1 mm). Relative toe length I Color in life. Dorsum, canthal region, lateral parts distinctly green with bluish tinge; posterior arm pits, groin, anterior and posterior femur, tibia and tarsus distinctly indigo varying in lighter to darker (at groin) shades. Dorsum with irregular fine black blotches, denser towards head region. Ventrally uniform bluish white (Fig 11 d), throat white with yellow at the lip margins. Iris with a distinct silvery background, coarsely speckled with shades of brown. Etymology. The species is named after the unique ‘indigo’ colour of the groin and other under parts of the body. The specific epithet “ indigo ” is used as a noun in apposition to generic name. Natural history and distribution. A range restricted species, observed in the high elevation (> 1700 m) stunted forests around the highest peak in the Kudremukh Massif (Fig 1 & 2). All the individuals were observed on the forest floor on leaves (avg. 116 cm above ground level, n= 6). Further surveys are needed to locate populations in other high elevations zones within Kudremukh Massif and also to explore the presence of any allied lineages in the adjacent Pushpagiri Massif.

8. Raorchestes leucolatus sp. nov. (Figures 2, 3 & 12; Tables 2 & 3) Holotype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 879 (CESF 1146), an adult male (SVL 16.9 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar, Mrugank V. Prabhu and and Mayavan in July 2010 from a wet evergreen forest site (10.9731 N, 76.6289 E), Elivalmalai Massif (Fig 1), Peninsular India. Paratype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 880 (CESF 1147), an adult male (SVL 17.1 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar, Mrugank V. Prabhu and Mayavan in July 2010 from a wet evergreen forest site (10.9731 N, 76.6289 E), Elivalmalai Massif (Fig 1), Western Ghats, Peninsular India. Lineage diagnosis. Raorchestes leucolatus sp. nov. can be diagnosed by its phylogenetic position within the Bombayensis clade (Fig 3) and exhibits moderate levels (16 S��� 2.9 %) of divergence from its closest relative R. tuberohumerus. It also shows strong differences in morphology (Fig 12 a,d,e,f). The lineage is diagnosed based on its phylogenetic position, genetic divergence and morphological distinctness. Field diagnosis. Morphology. Raorchestes leucolatus sp. nov. could be morphologically confused with its close relative R. tuberohumerus. However, it can be distinguished from R. tuberohumerus on many aspects of morphology. Raorchestes leucolatus sp. nov. can be distinguished by its smaller size (males) 16.9 mm (16.2���17.1, n= 4) (vs. 18.4 mm (17.7 ���19.0, n= 6) in R. tuberohumerus); head width, HW/SVL= 0.38 (0.37���0.39, n= 4) greater than head length, HL/SVL= 0.29 (0.28���0.31, n= 4) (vs. HW/SVL= 0.35 (0.33���0.36, n= 6) almost equal to head length (HL/SVL= 0.37 (0.36���0.40, n= 6) in R. tuberohumerus); shorter thigh length, TL/SVL= 0.45 (0.43���0.46, n= 4) (vs. TL/SVL= 0.50 (0.46���0.52, n= 6) in R. tuberohumerus); shorter foot length, FOL/SVL= 0.36 (0.35���0.36, n= 4) (vs. FOL/SVL= 0.40 (0.37���0.43) in R. tuberohumerus); groin region with white blotches (vs. groin region with yellow blotches in R. tuberohumerus; disc colour orange (vs. disc colour grey to brown in R. tuberohumerus). Geography. Found to be restricted to the mid-elevations of Elivalmalai Massif (see natural history and distribution for details). Ecology. Found to be an understory forest species (n= 4) and was observed in short grasses and shrubs along the forest edges. Description of holotype (all measurements in mm). A small sized bush frog (SVL = 16.9 mm), width of head sub equal to head length (HW = 6.2 mm; HL = 5.2 mm), flat dorsally; snout acutely pointed in total profile, slightly protruding beyond mouth. Snout length is sub equal to diameter of eye (SL = 2.2 mm, EL = 2.3 mm). Canthus rostralis angular, loreal region flat. Interorbital space (IUE = 2.1 mm) flat and sub equal to upper eyelid (UEW = 1.5 mm). Interorbital space between posterior margins of the eyes 1.7 times that of anterior margins (IFE = 3.5, IBE = 5.8 mm). Nostrils oval, nearer to tip of snout. Weak symphysial knob. Eyes small, pupil horizontal. Tympanum indistinct, rounded, barely visible behind the eye. Tongue bifid, granular without papilla. Supratympanic fold from behind eye to shoulder. Relative length of fingers IColor in life. Dorsum maroon with a pair of distinct orange patch on the shoulder. An orange coloured horizontal broken band between the upper eyelids. Groin with distinct white blotches, ventrally varying shades of brown with irregular white spots on the belly. Throat darker towards lips, disks on finger and toes distinctly orange. Iris coarsely speckled with varying shades of golden brown, overlaid on an irregular brown markings. Distinct rufous edged speckles around the pupil (Fig 12 (b)). Etymology. The species is named after one of its distinct characteristics, the ���white patch��� on the groin (Greek: leukos = white). Natural history and distribution. The species was discovered in the mid elevations (894���958 m, n= 2) and was observed at forested sites in the Elivalmalai Massif (Fig 1 & 2) situated north of Palghat Gap. Currently there are no reports of any allied species from north of its range. The southern most range of R. tuberohumerus, its geographically closest relative, appears to be Wayanad plateau (Fig 1). Further surveys are needed to verify the occurrence of this species or any close relatives in the lower elevations of Nilgiri Massif., Published as part of Vijayakumar, S. P., Dinesh, K. P., Prabhu, Mrugank V. & Shanker, Kartik, 2014, Lineage delimitation and description of nine new species of bush frogs (Anura: Raorchestes, Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats Escarpment, pp. 451-488 in Zootaxa 3893 (4) on pages 477-479, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3893.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/287578

6. Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov. (Figures 2, 3, 9 & 10; Tables 2 & 3) Holotype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 875 (CESF 1406) (SVL 26.5 mm), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar and Varun R Torsekar in September 2011 from a disturbed forest fragment site (9.6064 N, 77.3033 E) located in a tea garden mosaic, Megamalai Massif (Fig 1), Peninsular India. Paratype: ZSI/ WGRC /V/A/ 876 (CESF 1251) (SVL 23.9), collected by S.P. Vijayakumar, Mrugank V. Prabhu and Mayavan in August 2010 from a disturbed forest fragment site (9.6064 N, 77.3033 E) located in a tea garden mosaic, Megamalai Massif (Fig 1), Peninsular India. Lineage diagnosis. Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov. can be diagnosed phylogenetically as a member of the Ochlandrae clade (Fig 3), showing sister relationship to Raorchestes chalazodes (Fig 10 a) (see discussion below). Though it exhibits shallow divergence (16 S��� 1.2 %) with its allopatric sister, we diagnose this lineage and consider it for description based on its phylogenetic position (Ochlandrae clade), distinct morphology (coloration and skin pattern), geographical range and acoustic divergence (Fig 9, 10). Field diagnosis. Morphology. Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov. shows strong similarity with its sister lineage R. chalazodes in the morphometric variables considered. However, it exhibits very strong divergence in dorsum skin coloration and patterns (see Fig 9 a, 10 b). In Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov., the green dorsum coloration, with a lichen pattern, do not extend on to the hand and foot (vs. dorsal skin colour uniform green extending on to the hand and foot in R. chalazodes (Fig 10 a). It exhibits signatures of divergence in the limb length (shorter thigh/femur length (TL/SVL= 0.40, 0.40 ��� 0.40, n= 2) in Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov. in comparison to R. chalazodes (TL/SVL= 0.43, 0.40���0.45, n= 3) and shorter tibia/shank length (ShL/SVL= 0.42, 0.42���0.43, n= 2) in Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov. in comparison to R. chalazodes (ShL/SVL= 0.45, 0.44���0.45, n= 3). Additionally, the new species can be readily distinguished from all other close relatives by its iris pattern (characterized by very distinct small golden yellow patches on a dark background color) and also the dorsum coloration and skin pattern (Fig 9). Behaviour. Raorchestes flaviocularis sp. nov. shows divergence from its sister lineage in its shorter call length (0.59 �� 0.07 (N= 19) vs. 2.11 �� 0.42 (N= 43) in R. chalazodes), low number of pulses (4.95 �� 0.52 (N= 19) vs. 21.08 �� 3.47 (N= 24) in R. chalazodes, lower pulse rate (7.36 �� 0.62 (N= 19) vs. 9.99 �� 0.96 (N= 24) in R. chalazodes and greater dominant frequency (2675.82 �� 74.19 (N= 38) vs. 2523.78 �� 62.93 (N= 23) in R. chalazodes) (Fig 10). Considering the short overlap in the range of dominant frequency of the calls of the two lineages, we mainly use strong divergence in the temporal call characteristics as an additional evidence for recognizing and naming this lineage. Geography. Restricted to the Megamalai Massif (see natural history and distribution for details). Description of holotype (all measurements in mm). A small sized bush frog (SVL = 26.5 mm), width of head broader than head length (HW = 9.7 mm; HL = 6.7 mm), arched, flat dorsally; snout short and acuminate in total profile, slightly protruding beyond mouth. Snout length is sub equal to diameter of eye (SL = 2.6 mm, EL = 3.2 mm). Canthus rostralis rounded, loreal region slightly concave. Interorbital space (IUE = 2.7 mm) flat, slightly broader than upper eyelid (UEW = 1.7 mm). Interorbital space between posterior margins of the eyes 1.8 times that of anterior margins (IFE = 4.5, IBE = 8.2 mm). Nostrils oval, nearer to tip of snout. Weak symphysial knob. Pupil horizontal. Tympanum rather indistinct, rounded, barely visible behind the eye. Tongue bifid, granular with a distinct retractile papilla. Supratympanic fold from behind eye to shoulder. Relative length of fingersIColor in life. Dorsum with a distinct lichen pattern with uniform green colouration (Fig 9 (a)), the pattern broken irregularly exposing the brown fleshy skin colouration; dorsal pattern extends to mid belly laterally and to dorsal surface of femur, tibia and lower tarsus. Canthus region fleshy brown with occasional green patches in few individuals. Dorsal parts of arms, fingers and disc colour similar to canthus region. Groin, anterior and posterior femur, tibia and tarsus flesh coloured. Iris dark brown with distinct irregular golden yellow patches. Etymology. The species is named after the ���metallic yellow��� colour of the iris (Latin: flavin = yellow; oculus = eye). Natural history and distribution. A sub-canopy lineage (325 cm, n= 2), it is difficult to locate due to its ventriloquistic call and occurrence in the sub-canopy. Like other members of the Ochlandrae clade, it was also heard calling from Ochlandra grass patches. However, the two individuals whose descriptions are given were obtained from a highly disturbed forest fragment, on leaves of short trees (Ochlandra reeds, further observations are needed to verify the habitat association of this new lineage. It is a species of high elevations (1459���1569 m, n = 10), and restricted in distribution to the Upper Manalar Plateau, Megamalai Massif (Fig 1 & 2) in the southern Western Ghats. Based on our call recordings in the adjoining Anaimalai Massif (Fig 1), we anticipate a related lineage or an isolated population., Published as part of Vijayakumar, S. P., Dinesh, K. P., Prabhu, Mrugank V. & Shanker, Kartik, 2014, Lineage delimitation and description of nine new species of bush frogs (Anura: Raorchestes, Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats Escarpment, pp. 451-488 in Zootaxa 3893 (4) on pages 472-475, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3893.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/287578

Vijayakumar, S. P., Dinesh, K. P., Prabhu, Mrugank V., Shanker, Kartik (2014): Lineage delimitation and description of nine new species of bush frogs (Anura: Raorchestes, Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats Escarpment. Zootaxa 3893 (4): 451-488, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3893.4.1