1. 



90 



Current Herpetol. 20(2) 2001 



consists of 10-14 pulses and lacks 

 frequency modulation. 



A male (28 mm in SVL) was calling in a 

 depression on a cliff where a small 

 quantity of water was seeping out. Many 

 eggs were found around the depression. 

 Undoubtedly the eggs were laid by several 

 females. Embryos were in blastula stages 

 (on 30 June 1999) and covered with tough, 

 transparent jelly capsules. We carried a 

 part of eggs to the laboratory and the 

 embryos hatched three days after collec- 

 tion. The larvae had a long tail, tail 

 length being about three times body 

 length. A long tail is characteristic of the 

 tadpoles of its congener /. beddomii 

 (Boulenger, 1920). 



6. Nyctibatrachus major 



The advertisement calls of this species 

 were recorded in a small stream in 

 Talagini on 26 June 2000 at 23°C. The 

 calls (Fig. 6B) consisted of a single note 

 which was emitted at an interval of about 

 20 sec. Note length was 0.05 sec (N=7) 

 and had a wide main frequency band 

 ranging from 0.6 to 1.9 kHz. Conspicu- 

 ous frequency modulation was observed in 

 the upper part of this main spectral band. 

 A more faint band was observed at about 

 2.43 kHz. 



This species was calling in the shallow 

 waters of streams. A female collected in 



Madikeri on 19 June 2000 (42.2 mm in 

 SVL) laid six eggs in a bottle. The eggs 

 were pigmented, 2.7 mm in ovum diameter 

 and 4.1 mm in outer diameter of the egg 

 capsules. Since this female had ova of 

 various sizes in the ovary, from mature ova 

 to smaller unpigmented ones, it seemed 

 highly probable that this species lays eggs 

 not in a single large clutch but in several 

 small clutches at intervals of several days 

 or several weeks. Males had very small 

 testes relative to body size (mean testis 

 length was 6.3% of SVL and was the 

 smallest among 15 Indian frogs we exam- 

 ined), and this may be relevant to this 

 reproductive mode. 



7. Philautus leucorhinus 



The advertisement calls were recorded in 

 Kadri on 21 June 1999 (28 °C) and 7 June 

 2000 (27°C), and in Padil on 28 June 1999 

 (temperature not recorded) and 10 June 

 2000 (24°C). We found this species also in 

 Madikeri. This small arboreal frog emitted 

 diverse calls among low vegetation in the 

 forest and in house gardens. 



The most common, and probably basic, 

 advertisement call was composed of a short 

 note which involved 3-9 (mean=5.6, N=20) 

 pulse groups (Fig. 7A). The mean note 

 length was 0.12 sec and the mean domi- 

 nant frequency 3.23 kHz (28°C). From 

 this call may derive a longer note (Fig. 



Fig. 7. Advertisement calls of Philautus leucor/iinus recorded in Kadri on 21 June 1999 at 28°C 

 (A) and on 7 June 2000 at 27°C (B and C). 



