A new genus of old tree frog family discovered in Andaman Islands named after Dr. Pethiyagoda

By Ifham Nizam

A new genus of the old world tree frog family discovered in Andaman Islands was named after Sri Lanka’s taxonomist Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda, on Thursday.

A team led by Delhi University Professor S. D. Biju along with a group of researchers from India, China, Indonesia and Thailand, said it was the first time a tree frog species, Rohanixalus vittatus (Striped Bubble-nest frog), had been reported from the Andaman Islands of India.

‘Even though the amphibian fauna of Andamans has been frequently surveyed in recent years, family Rhacophoridae had not been reported from these islands.

Dr. Pethiyagoda told The Island: “Rohanixalus is a genus distributed from Northeast India to Southeast Asia, and I feel honoured that they chose to associate the name of this new genus to me.”

He added that only future research will show how the newly discovered species had got there. As you know, there are three genera of rhacophorid frogs in Sri Lanka too––Taruga, Polypedates and Pseudophilautus.

Frogs of the new genus have a unique nesting behaviour and are reported to display territorial behaviour and frequent male-male combats involving pushing, kicking, and dislodging, in order to successfully mate with a female.