{"id":58472,"date":"2018-03-21T00:10:10","date_gmt":"2018-03-21T05:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=58472"},"modified":"2018-03-21T00:10:10","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T05:10:10","slug":"hitherto-unrecognized-endemic-frog-found-in-sri-lanka-is-scientifically-named-uperdon-rohani-and-given-common-name-rohans-monsoon-croaker-in-honour-of-dr-rohan-pethiyagoda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=58472","title":{"rendered":"Hitherto Unrecognized Endemic Frog Found In Sri Lanka Is Scientifically Named “Uperdon Rohani” and Given Common Name ” Rohan’s Monsoon Croaker” In Honour of Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda."},"content":{"rendered":"


\nA team of Indian and Sri Lankan scientists led by Dr Sonali Garg of the University of Delhi has discovered that a frog commonly found in Sri Lanka\u2019s dry zone in fact represents a new, previously-unrecognised species, which they have named Uperodon rohani. The scientists explain that \u201cThis species is named after Rohan Pethiyagoda, in recognition of his contribution to biodiversity studies in India and Sri Lanka, especially on frogs and fishes.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The species was named in an 88-page monograph titled \u201cAn integrative taxonomic review of the South Asian microhylid genus Uperodon\u201d published in the journal \u2018Zootaxa\u2019 on 23 February. The authors found that the nearest evolutionary relative of the species, which is endemic to Sri Lanka, is the Indian frog Uperodon variegatus. They characterise the new species by its unique genetic make-up and morphology, in addition to the distinctive croaking call made by males. The propensity of these frogs to call loudly in chorus after heavy rains have led the scientists to propose that its common name be \u2018Rohan\u2019s Monsoon Croaker.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Speaking to Daily FT, Pethiyagoda \u2013 who is due to relinquish duties as chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board on 21 March \u2013 said he was delighted by the honour. \u201cThis is one of the two species of frogs most commonly seen in dry zone bathrooms during the rainy season,\u201d he said. \u201cIn national parks such as Yala and Bundala, it has a reputation for scaring people of a nervous disposition when they\u2019re seated on the potty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy colleague, the large mammal ecologist Manori Gunawardena, who lives near Yala, emailed me immediately as she saw the monograph,\u201d said Pethiyagoda. \u201c\u2018It is a shower, sink and drain resident,\u2019 she wrote. \u201cA lurker in the toilet bowl, it chirps if the shower is on long enough; my water-saving indicator. Uperodon rohani is impervious to flushing and returns to elicit the most expletives [from human users of the toilet]. It is my measure of who gets a re-invite to my house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m deeply gratified by having this frog named after me,\u201d says Pethiyagoda. \u201cAnd there\u2019s an added bonus. Now at last, all the people I\u2019ve annoyed in the past have a way of getting even with me next time they go to Yala. If they want to let me know what they think of me and there\u2019s a frog in the toilet bowl, I\u2019m sure their actions will speak louder than words. Or they can simply drop the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Courtesy:Daily FT<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A team of Indian and Sri Lankan scientists led by Dr Sonali Garg of the University of Delhi has discovered that a frog commonly found in Sri Lanka\u2019s dry zone in fact represents a new, previously-unrecognised species, which they have named Uperodon rohani. The scientists explain that \u201cThis species is named after Rohan Pethiyagoda, in …<\/p>\n

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