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A taxonomic account of the genus Philautus from the Western Ghats of India is presented. All known species of this genus, their type specimens, current taxonomic status, and geographical distribution are revised, based on museum and field studies. In addition, 12 new species are described and compared with other members of the genus, especially with the name-bearing types of Indian Philautus. Diagnoses, detailed descriptions, illustrations, data on distribution, and natural history are provided for all species, and their relationships are estimated using molecular phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial data sets. No reliable observations have been made for two species, Philautus chalazodes ( Günther, 1876 ) and Philautus flaviventris ( Boulenger, 1882 ), since the original descriptions in the 19th century. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 155, 374–444. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of Philautus is described from Ponmudi Hill in the Western Ghats of India. It can be distinguished from all other members of the genus by the combination of its rather robust body, relatively large snout-vent length, rounded snout, protruding eyes, and vermiculated coloration of the posterior surface of the tibia. It is one of the largest species of the genus in the Western Ghats (adult males of type series up to 38.9 mm). It is currently known only from the type locality, where it is essentially an inhabitant of the canopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The apparent biotic affinities between the mainland and the island in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot have been interpreted as the result of frequent migrations during recent periods of low sea level. We show, using molecular phytogenies of two invertebrate and four vertebrate groups, that biotic interchange between these areas has been much more limited than hitherto assumed. Despite several extended periods of land connection during the past 500,000 years, Sri Lanka has maintained a fauna that is largely distinct from that of the Indian mainland. Future conservation programs for the subcontinent should take into account such patterns of local endemism at the finest scale at which they may occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Night frogs (Nyctibatrachidae) form a family endemic to the Western Ghats, a hill chain along the west coast of southern India. Extant members of this family are descendants of a lineage that originated on the subcontinent during its longtime isolation in the Late Cretaceous. Because the evolutionary history of Nyctibatrachidae has always been tightly connected to the subcontinent, these tropically-adapted frogs are an ideal group for studying how patterns of endemism originated and evolved during the Cenozoic in the Western Ghats. We used a combined set of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA fragments to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of 120 ingroup specimens of all known species of Nyctibatrachidae. Our analyses indicate that, although this family had an early origin on the Indian subcontinent, the early diversification of extant nyctibatrachids happened only in the Eocene. Biogeographic analyses show that dispersal across the Palghat gap and Shencottah gap was limited, which led to clade endemism within mountain ranges of the Western Ghats. It is likely that multiple biota have been affected simultaneously by these prominent geographical barriers. Our study therefore further highlights the importance of considering the Western Ghats–Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot as an assemblage of distinct mountain regions, each containing endemism and deserving attention in future conservation planning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A new rhacophorid frog is described from Eravikulam National Park in the Western Ghats of India. The species is morphologically dissimilar from any known member of this family in having a bright orange to reddish colouration, multiple macroglands on the body and extremely short limbs. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial genes indicate that this new frog is nested in a radiation of shrubfrogs that had its origin on the Indian subcontinent, and which is here recognized as a distinct genus, Raorchestes gen. nov. The new species, Raorchestes resplendens sp. nov. is likely restricted to less than 3 sq. km on the summit of Anamudi, and deserves immediate conservation priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new nightfrog, Nyctibatrachus minimus sp. nov. (Anura: Nyctibatrachidae) is described from Kurichiyarmala in the Western Ghats, India. Its most distinctive feature is the small adult snout-vent length, averaging only 12.3 mm in adult males (N = 15), making it the smallest known frog from India. Analyses of a fragment of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase 1 gene indicate a minimum divergence of 22% with known small-sized congeners. Miniaturization in Nyctibatrachus sp. seems to be associated with absence of webbing on toes and fingers, which may have resulted from evolutionary specialization to life in terrestrial habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]