Raorchestes
| Raorchestes | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Raorchestes signatus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Rhacophoridae |
| Subfamily: | Rhacophorinae |
| Genus: |
Raorchestes Biju, Shouche, Dubois, Dutta, and Bossuyt, 2010 |
| Type species | |
|
Ixalus glandulosus Jerdon, 1854 |
|
| Diversity | |
| 50 species (see text) | |
Raorchestes is a genus of frogs in the Rhacophorinae subfamily. These frogs can be found in South and Southeast Asia, from southern India to Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos to southern China and Vietnam and West Malaysia. They are particularly diverse in the Western Ghats of India. Before the description of the genus in 2010, species now in Raorchestes had been assigned to genera Ixalus (no longer recognized), Philautus, and Pseudophilautus. The genus is named in honour of C. R. Narayan Rao in recognition of his contribution to Indian batrachology. The scientific nomen Orchestes is based on the first generic nomen coined for frogs of the Philautus group, Orchestes Tschudi 1838.
Raorchestes are largely nocturnal, relatively small frogs with adult body size 15–45 mm (0.59–1.77 in) in snout-vent length. They lack vomerine teeth. Males have a large transparent vocal sac while calling. All Raorchestes where development is known have direct development, that is, their life cycle does not involve a free-swimming tadpole stage. Their sister taxon is Pseudophilautus.
IUCN has assessed 38 species of Raorchestes. Many species are Critically Endangered, and one species (Raorchestes travancoricus) was already considered extinct, only to be rediscovered in 2004. The Amphibian Specialist Group's list of "lost frogs" (frogs not seen for decades) includes 10 Raorchestes species.
Many new species from India have been described in recent years. As of early 2016, the genus contained 60 species:.
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