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**Karunarathna’s Shrub Frog
Scientific name: Pseudophilautus karunarathnai
Article (short):
Tiny enough to rest on a fingertip, Karunarathna’s shrub frog is a whisper of life in leaf litter and understory shrubs of the central hills. Micro-endemism and dependence on humid montane leaf litter make this species a sentinel for cloud-forest health - where the frog goes, the forest goes.
Quick facts
Status (approx.): Critically Endangered / recently described and range-limited.
Range: Central hills/cloud-forest pockets (Sri Lanka).
Habitat: Leaf-litter, understory shrubs near streams in cloud forests.
Diet: Small invertebrates (ants, mites, tiny flies).
Lifespan: A few years typical for small frogs.
Reproduction: Direct developers in many Sri Lankan shrub frogs (eggs hatch as tiny froglets), often in leaf nests.
Ecological role: Insect population control; prey for larger invertebrates and birds; indicator of forest microclimate.
Main threats: Habitat loss, stream drying, pollution, climate change shifting cloud base.