Indirana cf. beddomii ( Günther, 1876 )

Raj, Prudhvi, Vasudevan, Karthikeyan, Dutta, Sushil Kumar, Sahoo, Gunanidhi, Mahapatra, Susmita & Sharma, Richa, 2023, Larval morphology of selected anuran species from India, Alytes 39 - 40, pp. 1-140 : 94-99

S23. Indirana cf. beddomii ( Günther, 1876) ( fig. 47‒48 )

Larval series examined. WT 135.20711 ( Wyanad Wildlife Sanctuary , Sulthan Bathery, India; 11.55386 N, 76.13842 E). Tadpoles were collected on rocky slopes that had a thin film of water running over. The tadpoles were found feeding on algal growth on the rocks .

Notes. Molecular data could not be generated from the tadpole vouchers. Indirana beddomii was recorded from the area where the tadpoles were collected. Tadpoles of I. beddomii were described by Annandale (1918), Boulenger (1920), Daniel & Sekar (1989), Inger et al. (1984), Daniel (2002) and Kuramoto & Joshy (2002). However, there is taxonomic uncertainty over the exact species identity for many of these descriptions.

External morphology. Description of a tadpole at Gosner stage 38. Body elliptical and depressed triangular in dorsal and lateral perspectives ( fig. 47a‒b ). Body length 25.1 % of total length; maximum body diameter at middle of abdomen. Snout acutely rounded in dorsal and rounded in lateral perspectives. Eyes large; located, and oriented dorsolaterally; distance between eye and nostril 38.8 % of the distance between eye and snout. Nostril opening rounded and elevated at the rim, closer to eyes than to snout; placed parallel to eye in dorsal view; inter-narial distance equal to inter-orbital distance; distance between nostril and snout 22 % of body length. Spiracle sinistral with inner wall of tube not formed; tube orientation posterolateral, its opening located below the medial and above the lateral side of venter. Distance between spiracle and snout 64 % of body length. Opening of vent tube medial with a wide aperture. Tail tip acute; musculature broad at body tail junction tapering beyond. Dorsal fin originating posterior to body tail junction, ventral fin originating at ventral terminus; both fins feeble and reduced; ventral tail taller than dorsal fin. maximum height of caudal fin at body tail junction. Height of tail muscle 1.18 times width of tail muscle at body-tail junction. Lateral line faintly visible. Glands absent on outer integument.

Oral disc ventral in location ( fig. 47c ). Rostral width of oral disc 46 % of maximum body width, emarginated; not visible dorsally; single row of marginal papillae at lateral commissures and on lower labium; marginal papillae at lateral commissures larger than papillae on lower labium; submarginal papillae absent; both labia of equal size. Labial tooth row formula A4(1‒4)/P4(1‒2). Order of lengths of labial tooth rows A1> A2> A3> P3> P4> P2> P1. Jaw sheaths well developed and heavily keratinized. Jaw sheath margins uniformly serrated with large serrations; supra-rostrodont tall medially with an inverted U-shaped convexity, with thin and extended lateral process; infra-rostrodont U-shaped with concave medial portion and thin lateral process.

Measurements of 38 tadpoles at various Gosner stages (28‒42, 45‒46) are given in tab. 22 .

Coloration. In life, dorsal body and flanks black with few speckles of gold. In lateral perspective, flanks lighter in coloration than dorsum. Ventral integument white and translucent with gut coils faintly visible; few tiny melanophores on gular region. Caudal fin musculature unicolored with occasional bands present at regular intervals. Dorsal and ventral fins translucent and white. Spiracle, oral disc and vent tube translucent with no pigmentation.

Buccopharyngeal morphology. Buccal roof ( fig. 48a‒b ). Buccal roof long and narrow. Prenarial arena could not be studied. Internal nares transverse, oriented medially; gap between both nares narrow; gap less than half of the length of each nare; anterior narial wall pustulose with a few pustules and a tall, flattened papilla at lateral corner of the wall with pustulated surface; posterior wall smooth and valvular. Postnarial arena with three pairs of papillae arranged in an inverted ‘V’; anterior papilla smallest and posterior papilla tallest. Median ridge papilla triangular with a pustulated margin. Two flattened lateral ridge papillae with rugose surface perpendicular to median ridge; anterior papilla short and broader; posterior papilla longer with an attenuated tip. BRA demarcated with five pairs of long conical pustulated papillae on lateral border of the roof; some of the papillae bifid; about 15‒20 tiny pustules spread across BRA. Glandular zone broad and prominent with secretory pits. Dorsal velum margin raised and discontinuous with four to five long projections.

Buccal floor ( fig. 48c‒d ). Prelingual arena narrow and long; composed of dilated palp on each side of posterolateral corners of jaw sheath; palps broad with many tiny attenuate projections and a posteriorly oriented finger-like projection. Tongue anlage broad and raised; pair of long conical lingual papillae located medially projecting outwards. BFA well defined by 12 pairs of long conical BFA papillae; papillae beginning from lateral corners of BFA continue parallel to mesad plane of floor, converging at posterior region of floor; all papillae conical, tall, rugose and of unequal size; few papillae branched; posterior region of BFA with six to eight pustules. Three to four pustules in region between tongue anlage and buccal pockets. Buccal pockets opening wide near medial and transversely arranged; pre-pocket papillae absent. Region between BFA and margin of ventral velum broad and granular. Ventral velum wide and sinuate; margin with ten projections; one projection on each side seen outwards while others concentrated around centre. Median notch prominent. Glottis exposed behind ventral velum.

Denticles ( fig. 48e ) closely packed and feebly curved towards mouth at apex. Oral angle obtuse; head and body short and of equal height; head broadly rounded with 10‒12 short and moderately curved cusps.

Two rows of serrations on both jaw sheaths ( fig. 48f ); serrations few and widely spaced apart; each serration with a wide base and a triangular pointed head.

Figures

Figure 47. Indirana cf. beddomii, Gosner stage 38. External morphology: (a) Lateral view, (b) Dorsal view, (c) Ventral view. Scale = 10 mm.

Figure 48. Indirana cf. beddomii, Gosner stage 38. Buccopharyngeal and denticles: (a) Buccal roof, Scanning Electron Microscopy photograph, scale = 0.2 mm, (b) Buccal roof, Alcian Blue stained photograph, ventral view, scale = 1 mm, (c) Buccal floor, Scanning Electron Microscopy photograph, scale = 0.2 mm, (d) Buccal floor, Alcian Blue stained photograph, ventral view, scale = 1 mm, (e) Individual denticles, scale = 0.01 mm, (f) Jaw sheath serrations = 0.1 mm.