Polypedates maculatus ( Gray, 1830 )

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 : 108-110

S26. Polypedates maculatus ( Gray, 1830) ( fig. 53‒54 )

Larval series examined. WT 085-088.1707 ( North Orissa University, Baripada, Odisha, India; 21.929389 N, 86.765389 E). The tadpoles were collected from pools at a depth of three feet with emergent vegetation .

Notes. Tadpoles of this species were reared from eggs collected in and around Baripada district, India. Descriptions on external morphology for tadpoles of the species were published earlier by Ferguson (1904), Annandale (1912), Kirtisinghe (1957), Mohanty-Hejmadi & Dutta (1988, 1989), Deuti & Goswami (1995) and Ray (1999). The current description goes along with the above descriptions.

External morphology. Description of a tadpole at Gosner stage 37. Body elliptical and triangular in dorsal and lateral perspectives ( fig. 53a‒b ). Body length 45 % of total length; maximum body diameter at the centre of abdomen. Snout rounded in dorsal view. Eyes large; located and oriented dorsolaterally; distance between eye and nostril 63 % of distance between eye and snout. Nostril opening spherical, closer to snout than to eyes, placed parallel to eye in dorsal view; inter-narial distance 44 % of inter-orbital distance; distance between nostril and snout 12 % of body length. Spiracle sinistral; inner wall of the tube not completely formed; tube oriented posterolateral, its opening located below the lateral side of venter. Distance between spiracle and snout 73 % of body length. Opening of vent tube dextral and attached to ventral fin. Tail tip acute; musculature linear on first third length of tail, tapering beyond. Dorsal fin originating anterior to body tail junction, ventral fin originating at ventral terminus; dorsal fin wider than ventral fin. Maximum height of caudal fin at mid-length of tail. Tail (caudal) musculature accounting for 57 % of height of tail. Lateral line not visible. Glands absent on outer integument.Oral disc anteroventral in location ( fig. 53c ). Rostral width of oral disc 33 % of maximum body width, emarginated; not visible dorsally; single row of marginal papillae spread on both labia; two to three submarginal papillae at lateral commissures; both labia of equal size. Labial tooth row formula A4(2‒4)/P3(1). Order of lengths of labial tooth rows A2> P1> P2> A1> P3> A3> A4. Jaw sheaths well developed, and both jaw sheaths moderately keratinized. Jaw sheath margins uniformly serrated with moderate-sized serrations; supra-rostrodont arch-shaped with thin lateral process; infra-rostrodont U-shaped, convex laterally and concave medially.

Measurements of 30 tadpoles at various Gosner stages (27, 29‒38, 40, 46) are given in tab. 25 .

Coloration. In life, dorsal side cream colored with few light brown blotches spread randomly. In lateral perspective, flanks lighter than dorsum. Ventrally, integument translucent with gut coils visible. Musculature of caudal fin cream colored with light brown blotches spread evenly across; dorsal and ventral tail fins white and translucent. Spiracle, oral disc and vent tube translucent with no melanophores.

Buccopharyngeal morphology. Buccal roof ( fig. 54a ). Prenarial arena of roof with an arched pustulose ridge; six pustules on either side posterolateral to the ridge. Internal nares transversely oriented posteromedially; gap between nares narrow, about half the length of nare; anterior narial wall pustulose with few pustules and a tall conical papilla originating at lateral corner of wall; posterior wall tall, smooth and valvular with section near medial raised like a flap. Postnarial arena with four papillae; two tall conical papillae located behind each narial wall arranged linearly and oriented medially; papillae near mesad larger with rugose surface on anterior margin, it being largest papillae on the roof; few (three to four) pustules present in front of median ridge. Median ridge papilla triangular with a pustulated margin and a pustulated tip. A single long lateral ridge papilla with rugose anterior margin perpendicular to median ridge. BRA demarcated with two pairs of long, conical papillae on lateral border of roof; about 30 tiny pustules spread across BRA. Glandular zone prominent; anterior margin of glandular zone demarcated by tiny pustules arranged linearly to posterior margin of BRA; secretory pits present. Dorsal velum raised and discontinuous with projections.

Buccal floor ( fig. 54b ). Prelingual arena composed of four pairs of pustules and an equal number of palps at dorsolateral corners and posterolateral corners of jaw sheath; size of palps follow an ascending order with posterior palp being longest having a dilated tip and rugose surface; palp immediately anterior to it comparatively smaller and retaining all morphological characters of the former; other two palps short and stub; pair of stubby papillae located posteromedial on jaw sheath between the two posterior palps. Tongue anlage broad and raised; pair of smooth long lingual papillae with a broad tip present medially. BFA well defined by 10 BFA papillae; BFA papillae beginning from lateral corners of BFA, converging at posteromedial region of floor; papillae short, stubby and unequal in size; some papillae with dilated tip; posterior region of BFA with about 20 pustules; few papillae and pustules beyond lateral sides of BFA. Buccal pocket opening wide and transversely arranged; pre-pocket papillae absent; region between tongue anlage and buccal pockets bearing 20 pustules. Few pustules present medially between BFA and ventral velum. Ventral velum wide and sinuate; margin with 12 projections; outer three projections on each side widely placed apart. Median notch prominent. Glottis exposed posterior to ventral velum.

Figures

Figure 53. Polypedates maculatus, Gosner stage 37. External morphology: (a) Lateral view, (b) Dorsal view, (c) Ventral view. Scale = 10 mm.

Figure 54. Polypedates maculatus, Gosner stage 37. Buccopharyngeal region: (a) Buccal roof, Alcian Blue stained photograph, ventral view, scale = 1 mm, (b) Buccal floor, Alcian Blue stained photograph, ventral view, scale = 0.5 mm.