Common Name: Myristica Swamp Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Mercurana myristicapalustris
Family: Rhacophoridae – Asian Tree Frog family
Location: India
Average Size: males – 1.4 inches (36.1 mm) : females – 2.5 inches (65.1 mm)
The Myristica Swamp Tree Frog lives in the Western Ghats. They are an arboreal frog, meaning they live up in the trees.
During the mating season May – June (pre monsoon season), males call from their specific perch around a depression in a ground. If a male encroaches on another male’s perch, the male will increase their calling to try to scare off the other male. If that doesn’t work, the male will try to kick (literally) the other male off.
Once a female arrives at the perch, the male grasps her from behind in amplexus. Then, the two travel down to the forest floor into the depression. The female frog digs a hole with her snout where she then lays her eggs. She lays around 130 eggs. The eggs hatch when the depression starts to fill with water.
The genus name Mercurana is in honor of the late great rocker, Freddy Mercury of the band Queen. However, they are the only frog in that genus.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Myristica Swamp Tree Frog as Endangered with Extinction. They have a small range that is severely fragmented. Luckily, some of their range occurs in protected areas. However, the areas outside the protected areas are being destroyed to make room for urban areas or farms.