Pseudophilautus schmarda

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AMPHIBIA	ANURA	RHACOPHORIDAE

Scientific Name:	Pseudophilautus schmarda
Species Authority:	(Kelaart, 1854)
Synonym/s:	Philautus schmarda Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 Polypedates schmardanus Kelaart, 1854
Taxonomic Notes:	This species was moved to the genus Philautus from Theloderma by Manamendra-Arachchi and Pethiyagoda (2005).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Endangered B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) ver 3.1
Year Published:	2004
Assessor/s:	Kelum Manamendra-Arachchi, Rohan Pethiyagoda, Anslem de Silva, Deepthi Wickramasinghe
Reviewer/s:	Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson and Neil Cox)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Listed as Endangered because its Extent of Occurrence is less than 5,000 km2, its distribution is severely fragmented, and there is continuing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat in the Central Hills of Sri Lanka.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is endemic to the Central Hill Country of Sri Lanka at 810-2,300m asl. There are records from the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary, Agra Bopath, Horton Plains and Pedro (Manamendra-Arachchi and Pethiyagoda 2005).
Countries:	Native: Sri Lanka
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	It is a common species.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It appears to be largely restricted to closed-canopy cloud forests, though it has also been found in the understorey of a pine plantation and more rarely in abandoned tea plantations. At night, adults have been observed perched on leaves 1-2m above ground. During the day, juveniles have been observed on the forest floor, on wet, marshy ground, and adults on lichen and moss-covered branches and tree trunks. Adult males are group callers (Manamendra-Arachchi and Pethiyagoda 2005). This species breeds by direct development. The female excavates a deep hole in the forest floor where the eggs are then deposited.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

It appears to be largely restricted to closed-canopy cloud forests, though it has also been found in the understorey of a pine plantation and more rarely in abandoned tea plantations. At night, adults have been observed perched on leaves 1-2m above ground. During the day, juveniles have been observed on the forest floor, on wet, marshy ground, and adults on lichen and moss-covered branches and tree trunks. Adult males are group callers (Manamendra-Arachchi and Pethiyagoda 2005). This species breeds by direct development. The female excavates a deep hole in the forest floor where the eggs are then deposited.

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Although much of its range is in protected areas, the quality of much of its habitat is being threatened by illegal firewood collection, clear-cutting for timber, and conversion to agricultural land (tea estates). Forest fires and dieback of mature trees in Horton Plains National Park are also threats, and pollution by agro-chemicals might also be a problem.

Major Threat(s):

Although much of its range is in protected areas, the quality of much of its habitat is being threatened by illegal firewood collection, clear-cutting for timber, and conversion to agricultural land (tea estates). Forest fires and dieback of mature trees in Horton Plains National Park are also threats, and pollution by agro-chemicals might also be a problem.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	It occurs in several protected areas, including the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary and the Horton Plains National Park.

Conservation Actions:

It occurs in several protected areas, including the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary and the Horton Plains National Park.

Citation:	Kelum Manamendra-Arachchi, Rohan Pethiyagoda, Anslem de Silva, Deepthi Wickramasinghe 2004. Pseudophilautus schmarda. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2013.
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