Uperodon montanus : Narrow-Mouthed Frog
News: A group of zoologists has rediscovered the endemic to the higher elevations of the Western Ghats frog Uperodon montanus.
- Other names for Uperodon montanus include Malabar Hill frog and Jerdon’s narrow-mouthed frog.
- It is unique to India’s Western Ghats.
- The damp deciduous woodland to evergreen forest is the typical habitat where this frog is found in tree holes during the rainy season.
- This frog is limited to higher altitude ranges of 800-1,700 metres and is regarded as a montane species.
- From close to Wayanad, they are dispersed southward over the Palghat and Shencottah gaps to the Agasthyamalai hills.
- Tadpoles of this species are exotropic, or species-feeding, and free-swimming.
- IUCN’s status of conservation is Near Endangered.