Wildlifeof India
Raorchestes chalazodes
Shrub Frogs & Tree Frogs
Photo: (c) Ansil B.R., some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (May be cropped or resized)
Raorchestes chalazodes
Basic stats
Diet
Insects, spiders and other invertebrates including molluscs
Habitat
Understorey of tropical moist evergreen forest; arboreal; 1,200-1,600m
Range
Endemic to the Western Ghats; rediscovered in 2011 in the Upper Kodayar region, Tamil Nadu
Raorchestes chalazodes is a nocturnal, arboreal frog of the understorey of tropical moist evergreen forest, endemic to the Western Ghats. It was thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 2011 in the Upper Kodayar region of Tamil Nadu. It has been observed between 1,200 and 1,600 metres above sea level. The species name comes from the Greek for "lump", reflecting the white granulation of the body, and one of its most distinctive traits is the eye: a black iris with golden patches (Wikipedia, general species account).
It eats mainly invertebrates such as insects and spiders, and also molluscs. It lays its eggs in the internodes of the bamboo Ochlandra travancorica, where the adult male looks after the clutch, and before the breeding season males forage for large prey to prepare for this long period of care (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Raorchestes chalazodes eat?
- Insects, spiders and other invertebrates including molluscs
- What habitat does the Raorchestes chalazodes live in?
- Understorey of tropical moist evergreen forest; arboreal; 1,200-1,600m
- Where is the Raorchestes chalazodes found?
- Endemic to the Western Ghats; rediscovered in 2011 in the Upper Kodayar region, Tamil Nadu