Sunday, April 24, 2016

Marbled rock frog (Nannophrys marmorata)


English: Marbled rock frog / Kirtisinghe's rock frog
Binomial: Nannophrys marmorata
Sinhala: දුම්බර ගල්පර දිය මැඩියා [Dumbara galpara diya madiya]

Marbled rock frog is an endemic species of frogs found in Knuckles mountain range. It is one of two species of frogs in Sri Lanka which belong to genus Nannophrys. This species is a semi-aquatic and lives in rock crevices and on wet rocks. Flat shaped body and the color pattern of the skin are adaptions for the living habitat. Even the behavior is similar to N. ceylonensis, Nannophrys marmorata has been adopted to live with dry, changing weather conditions. But other relative of the same genus, N. ceylonensis, is mostly found in wet rocky areas of covered wet zone forests.

In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, this frog is categorized as "Critically endangered" due to its limited distribution. Human activities such as tourism and agricultural activities are considered to be the main threats for the species.

References:
  • Manamendra-Arachchi, K. & R. Pethiyagoda (2006): Sri Lankan amphibians [in Sinhala]. – WHT Publications, Colombo.
  • The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(tm) 2015-4 - http://www.iucnredlist.org

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