Overview
The Starry Shrub Frog (Pseudophilautus stellatus) is one of the world’s most famous ‘Lazarus species’ and a crowning jewel of amphibian conservation. Described originally in 1853 from a single museum specimen, it was presumed entirely extinct for almost 160 years until its miraculous rediscovery in 2009 high in the mist-shrouded montane cloud forests of Sri Lanka’s Peak Wilderness. Named for the constellation of bright turquoise-white specks adorning its deep emerald body, it symbolizes the hidden survival of island endemic wildlife.
Biology and Physical Characteristics
Pseudophilautus stellatus is a robust, arboreal rhacophorid frog. Its dorsal coloration is a rich, lime-to-emerald green densely sprinkled with irregular, star-like white or sky-blue spots bordered by dark violet rings, resembling a constellation in the night sky. The ventral surface is pale yellow to translucent white. It features large, prominent golden eyes with dark horizontal pupils, a rounded snout, and expanded adhesive toe pads on all four digits that permit agile climbing across slick, wet cloud-forest foliage and vertical mossy tree trunks.
Behavior and Ecology
Unlike lowland frogs that rely on ponds or streams for reproduction, the Starry Shrub Frog practices direct development, bypassing the free-swimming aquatic tadpole stage entirely. Females lay clutch batches of large, yolk-rich eggs in damp moss cushions on canopy branches; fully formed miniature froglets emerge directly from the eggs. They are primarily nocturnal and canopy-dwelling, perching on leaves 6 to 15 feet above the forest floor. During misty nights, males emit short, high-pitched metallic ticking calls to announce territory to potential mates.
Conservation and Human Impact
The IUCN Red List designates Pseudophilautus stellatus as Critically Endangered due to its extraordinarily restricted single-site distribution covering less than 10 square kilometers. The species is exceptionally vulnerable to habitat degradation caused by commercial tea and cardamom plantations, uncontrolled pilgrim traffic near Adams Peak, and shifting precipitation patterns driven by climate change that threaten the cloud moisture envelope essential for terrestrial egg survival.
Interesting Factoid
Believed extinct for 156 years, the Starry Shrub Frog was dramatically rediscovered when scientists exploring the canopy of an isolated cloud forest peak spotted its jewel-like starry spots glowing in their headlamp beams.
Last updated: October 2026