Polypedates pseudocruciger commonly known as ‘false hour-glass frog’ is one of the endemic tree frog in Western Ghats. The distinct marking that resembles an hour glass give the common name to the frog. It is locally known as ‘Ghatikara Thavala’ (Malayalam). It belongs to the family Rhacophoridae. Mr. Das and Mr. Ravichandran described it in 1998, for the first time from Glenbeck estate near Nagarcoil, Tamilnadu. It is widely distributed in the woody landscapes of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamilnadu, in the fraction of Western Ghats. The key diagnostic characters of this frog were the large body size with brown colour, distinct tympanum, smooth dorsum and ventrum with prominent granules. The tips of toes dilated into flattened disks and webbed toes. It starts its breeding during south west monsoon and lays eggs in the form of foam nest by folding green leaves above the temporary pools. Changing climate especially uneven rainfalls and increasing temperature will adversely effects the breeding and tadpole development of this frog. The temporary pools and evergreen vegetation in MSSBG sustain a good number of this endemic frog and visitors can spot this species often.
Information and Editing: Mr. Nandakumar and Dr. Smitha S. Thankappan; Photograph: Mr. Nandakumar; Approval: Dr. N. Anil Kumar