''Raorchestes charius'' (common names: Karnataka bubble-nest frog, Seshachar's bush frog, Chari's bush frog) is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

in the family

Rhacophoridae The Rhacophoridae are a family of frogs that occur in tropical sub-Saharan Africa, South India and Sri Lanka, Japan, northeastern India to eastern China and Taiwan, south through the Philippines and Greater Sundas, and Sulawesi. They are commonly ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the Western Ghats,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It has been observed between 800 and 1400 meters above sea level. It is an arboreal species living in tropical moist evergreen

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s in the

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

state, and in grasslands. This frog lives in evergreen and broadleaf forests and in grasslands, but people have also seen a few on large farms. The frog perches on plants about 1 m off the ground. The frog breeds through direct development. Both adults and froglets in have been observed in

leaf litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent ...

. Scientists believe this frog is not in danger of dying out because it lives in such a large place. Many of the places the frog lives are protected parks. This frog is in some danger from fires and from people changing its forest into farmland, building roads, and from tourism. Scientists believethat the fungal disease chytridiomycosis can infect this frog, as it does related species.

References

External links

* charius Frogs of India Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats Taxa named by C. R. Narayan Rao Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians described in 1937 {{Rhacophoridae-stub