Picture

Gokul's House - We were getting ready for our weekly field study to Hill palace when I found something moving alongside my legs. Thought it was a Common Indian Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) juvenile. Luckly i was forced to have a closer look and was actually surprised to see the Indian Painted Frog (Kaloula taprobanica). This is my first sighting with this species in my locality (Tripunithura). These are burrowing frogs which are of medium size, stocky build and short-legged. 


About the Specimen :
The Indian Painted frog is readily identified by its striking color combination of bright red to flesh pink, brown and black, spotted ireegularly with white. The red patches on the upper side are rather symmetrical bordered with black. The underside is grayish, finely speckled with brown. In breeding males, the throat is black. The tips of the fingers are enlarged into large and flattened discs. The digging appendage on the inner aspect of the sole is well developed. 


The Adults grow no less than 6 cm. A bony ridge on the roof of the mouth right below the internal opening of each nostril is a feature unique for this genus (Kaloula). 


The genus Kaloula is widespread in South and Southeast Asia extending east till about the Philippines. Around 10 species are known in this genus, three of which occur in India.


The call of the Indian painted frog maybe described as a loud and low pitched " Brong " uttered incessantly during the night and early hours of the day during the rains. From a distance, it sounds like the slow and deliberate gratin of the coconut.


Habitat.Distribution.
They are well adapted to living within highly urbanized cities like Bangalore and Chennai. Found throughout the western ghats. Species widely distributed in India (Orissa, Assam, W.Bengal, Kerala, Bihar, M.Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.)