Raorchestes garo

Raorchestes garo (Boulenger, 1919) Figures 15, 16, 17; Tables 1, 2, S 6, S 7, S 12 Synonymy and chresonymy. Ixalus garo Boulenger, 1919: 207. Rhacophorus (Philautus) garo — Ahl (1931): 70. Philautus garo — Bourret (1942): 450 –451; Inger (1985): 528; Ahmed et al. (2009): 15. Philautus (Philautus) garo — Bossuyt and Dubois (2001): 41. Philautus namdaphaensis Sarkar and Sanyal, 1985: 287–289. Raorchestes manipurensis Mathew & Sen, 2009: 43, 44, plate XVI. Philautus namdaphaensis — Ahmed et al. (2009): 16, 147. Raorchestes cangyuanensis Wu et al., 2019: 558–561. Raorchestes kempiae — Naveen et al. (2024): 362, 365–367. Raorchestes garo — Naveen et al. (2024): 362. Comments on taxonomic status. Boulenger (1919) described “ Ixalus ” garo based on a single specimen (Fig. 15 A – D) collected by Stanley Wells Kemp from “ above Tura ”, Garo Hills. It was subsequently placed in other rhacophorid genera including Rhacophorus Kuhl & van Hasselt, 1822 and Philautus (Ahl 1931; Bourret 1942; Inger 1985; Bossuyt and Dubois 2001). This species has been reported from Assam (Choudhury et al. 2001), Nagaland (Ao et al. 2003) and Shillong in Meghalaya (Mathew and Sen 2009; Kharkongor et al. 2016). However, it has never been reported from its type locality (above Tura in Garo Hills, Meghalaya) since it was first described. Recently, Naveen et al. (2024) reported this species from Daribokgre Community Reserve in the East Garo Hills District of Meghalaya, claiming that their collected specimen is a “ topotype ” (see discussion below). During our field survey on 27 May 2022, we encountered an individual of the bush frog (Fig. 16 A – H) at the type locality Tura Peak (25.50302°N, 90.23853°E, elevation 1030 m a. sl.), Meghalaya. These individuals resemble the characters mentioned in the original description of R. garo by Boulenger (1919) as follows: 1) dark-brown hourglass shaped mark covering head from interorbital space and back, 2) loreal and temporal region dark-brown, 3) dark-brown crossbars on limbs and 4) distinct tympanum, 5) canthus rostralis distinct. Although the original description stated the snout shape is truncated, it is damaged in the holotype (squeezed, see Fig. 15). Our examination of the newly collected material found that the snout shape is rounded or sub-ovoid. Material examined. Holotype: ZSI 19187, subadult (sex could not be determined); collected by S. W. Kemp above Tura, West Garo Hills District, Meghalaya, India. Newly collected material. Topotypes: five adult males (WII-ADA 1493 –1496, WII-ADA 1499) collected by BB, VJ, and AD on 27 May 2022 from Tura Peak Reserved Forest (25.50302°N, 90.23853°E, elevation 1030 m a. s. l.), West Garo Hills District, Meghalaya. Referred materials: one adult male (WII-ADA 1479) collected by BB, VJ, and AD on 20 May 2022 from Daribokgre (25.48973°N, 90.32373°E, elevation 1140 m a. s. l.), West Garo Hills District, Meghalaya; two adult males (WII-ADA 858, WII-ADA 859) collected by BB and AD on 1 August 2021 from near Kiphire Divisional Forest Complex (25.89940°N, 94.76947°E, elevation 1300 m a. s. l.), Kiphire District, Nagaland; one adult male (WII-ADA 861) collected by BB and AD on 2 August 2021 from Aramasangram, (25.83128°N, 94.87319°E, elevation 1480 m a. s. l.), Kiphire District, Nagaland; seven adult males (WII-ADA 601 – WII-ADA 605, WII-ADA 607, WII-ADA 608) collected by BB on 18 April 2019 from Lakhicherra (24.97502°N, 92.77305°E, elevation 50 m a. sl.), Cachar District, Assam; two adult males (WII-ADA 609, WII-ADA 610) collected by BB on 20 April 2019 from Subhang (24.97613°N, 92.79206°E, elevation 170 m a. s. l.), Cachar District, Assam; two adult males (WII-ADA 1035 and WII-ADA 1036) collected by BB, NGP, and AD on 9 September 2021 from Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary (22.48696°N, 92.77307°E, elevation 180 m a. s. l.), Lawngtlai District, Mizoram; one adult female (WII-ADA 1142) collected by BB, NGP, and AD on 16 September 2021 from Teirei (23.694°N, 92.45147°E, elevation 270 m a. s. l.), Dampa Tiger Reserve, Mamit District, Mizoram; one adult male (WII-ADA 1645) collected by BB on 25 July 2022 from Leimatak (24.59375°N, 93.66256°E, elevation 480 m a. sl.), Churachandpur District, Manipur; two adult males (WII-ADA 1648 and WII-ADA 1649) collected by BB on 26 July 2022 from Charoikhullen (24.6071°N, 93.71986°E, elevation 1180 m a. s. l.), Churachandpur District, Manipur; four adult males (WII-ADA 3211, WII-ADA 3213, WII-ADA 3217, and WII-ADA 3219) collected by RNV and SD on 9 May 2023 from Haldibari (27.52453°N, 96.39913°E, elevation 500 m a. s. l.), Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Changlang District, Arunachal Pradesh. Diagnosis. Small to medium sized Raorchestes, SVL 19.9–26.9 mm in adult males; head length equal to its width or slightly wider than long (HL / HW = 0.9–1.01); snout shape rounded to sub-ovoid in dorsal view, snout length slightly less than or equal to eye length (SL / EL = 0.81–1.03); snout length greater than or equal to inter-upper eyelid width (0.96–1.28); nostrils closer to snout tip than eye or equidistant between the two; internarial distance smaller than inter-upper eyelid width (IN / IUE = 0.71–0.94) and greater or equal to upper eyelid width (UE/ IN = 0.73–1.0), inter-upper eyelid width smaller than eye length (0.74–0.94); spinules or tubercles on dorsum; brown patches on groin and thigh; three dark bands on thigh and tibia. Redescription of holotype (ZSIC 19187; Fig. 15 A – D). Specimen completely dehydrated; snout squeezed; lower jaw broken at right side; fourth finger disc on left side damaged; right hind limb is dislodged from body; a puncture on anterior part of abdomen. Small sized frog (SVL = 12.3 mm); head length equal to width; eyes moderate, less than half of head length (EL / HL = 0.38); interorbital space equal to eye length and greater than upper eyelid width (UEW / IUE = 0.43); tympanum distinct, round; tongue posteriorly notched; supratympanic fold visible; forelimbs slender, forearm length smaller than hand length (FAL / HAL = 0.81); each finger with rounded discs; circum-marginal groove present on discs; subarticular tubercles distinct, rounded; palmar tubercles indistinct; hindlimbs slender, thigh length more than half of snout-vent length (TL / SVL = 0.57) and slightly longer than tibia (TBL / TL = 0.97); each toes with rounded disc; discs with circum-marginal groove, as wide as those on fingers; subarticular tubercles distinct, rounded; inner metatarsal tubercle present and outer metatarsal tubercle absent; dorsal aspect of head and dorsum smooth; dorsal surface of limbs smooth; flank smooth; throat, chest and ventral side of limbs smooth; abdomen granular. Colouration of holotype (ZSIC 19187) in preservative. Head dorsally brown and paler laterally; dorsum brown and paler towards the flank; enlarged, slightly darker hourglass shaped mark visible on dorsum starting at interorbital space, posterior ends much darker near groin; limbs brown dorsally; pale brown ventrally; brown specks on throat, chest, and anterior part of abdomen and lower arms. Expanded description based on the newly collected topotype (WII-ADA 1495: Fig. 16 A – H). A medium sized Raorchestes, SVL 25.3 mm; head wider than long (HL / HW = 0.93); snout rounded in dorsal view, slightly protruding beyond lower jaw in ventral view; snout length slightly smaller than eye length (SL / EL = 0.92) and equal to inter-upper eyelid width; a slight depression on internarial space; nostrils oval, obliqued, closer to snout tip than eyes (NS / EN = 0.88); narial region protruding; canthus rostralis distinct, obliqued; loreal region concave; eyes protruding, moderate in size (EL / HL = 0.38), greater than inter-upper eyelid width (IUE / EL = 0.89); internarial distance equals to upper eyelid width; tympanum round, distinct, nearly one fourth of eye length; supratympanic fold distinct; vomerine teeth absent; choanae round; trunk less than half snout-vent length (TRL/ SVL = 0.48). Forelimbs slender; forearm shorter than hand length (FAL / HAL = 0.86); third finger longest; fingers with rounded discs; circum-marginal groove present on discs; disc on finger II, III and IV greater than tympanic diameter; palmar tubercles indistinct; subarticular tubercles distinct, round; proximal subarticular tubercle on finger III and IV smaller than distal subarticular tubercles; fine granular nuptial pad on first finger; webbing absent. Hindlimbs slender; thigh length half of snout-vent length (TL / SVL = 0.52) and slightly greater than tibia length (TBL / TL = 0.98); fourth toe longest; circum-marginal groove present on toe discs; subarticular tubercles distinct, rounded; proximal subarticular tubercle on fourth toe indistinct and small; supernumerary tubercles absent; toe disc width equal to that of fingers; inner metatarsal tubercle present, its length equal to disc width of second toe; outer metatarsal tubercle absent; webbing small, reaching second subarticular tubercle on fourth toe. Skin on dorsal aspect of snout and head smooth with indistinct tubercles on upper eyelids; side of head smooth, with few tubercles behind angle of jaw; spinules starting behind upper eyelids and above supratympanic folds runs along dorsolateral side of trunk and scatter on middle of trunk, posterior part of dorsum smooth; flank granular; forelimbs and hindlimbs smooth dorsally; head on ventral side smooth; chest, lower arms, abdomen and thighs granular; tibia smooth. Colouration in life. Dorsal aspect of head yellowish brown from snout to anterior one third of upper eyelids with irregular brown spots; dorsum yellowish brown with dark brown spots; an hourglass shaped brown mark starting from interorbital space covering posterior two third of upper eyelids to anterior to vent, posteriorly diffused; dark brown spots along the edges of hourglass shaped mark; loreal region and area anterior to nasals brown, area below eyes, lips, tympanic region and mandibular region pale brown with slightly dark brown specks and spots; in

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