#Limnonectes

[herpsandbirds]

Smooth Guardian Frog (Limnonectes palavanensis) male with tadpoles, family Dicroglossidae, Sarawak, Borneo

Male guards eggs, which are laid on the forest floor, and then transports tadpoles to a water source.

Photograph by Kurt Orion G

[markscherz]

Hello Mark! I found out about the limnonectes genus recently - why are some of them knobheads? What is the purpose of knob?

The structure is called a caruncle, which sounds like a made-up word, but then again, all words are made up. It is made of connective tissue underneath skin full of mucous glands (studied histologically by Lambertz et al. 2014), but its function is unknown. However, because it is only present in males, I have a well-founded suspicion that it is involved in sexual selection one way or another. I would guess that it is either (a) very intimidating for other males, (b) actually helpful in physical contests among males, (c) very attractive to females, or (d) some combination of the above.

[stickyfrogs]

Hanging Out With Friends at the Frog Pond at Kubah National Park, Borneo!

Four-lined tree frogs (Polypedates leucomystax), Harlequin Tree Frog (Rhacophorus pardalis) and Giant River Frog (Limnonectes leporinus)!

[fedorahead]

from lots of googling, i have determined this is the cutest frog angle for pictures

limnonectes palavanensis -- guardian frog -- carries his tadpoles on his back from their hatch site to the water they'll turn to frogs in

a fantastic dad, just covered in babies

[typhlonectes]

New Fanged Frog Species Discovered in Indonesia

There are 70 known frogs of the Limnonectes genus.

The frog, Limnonectes phyllofolia sp. nov. has a unique reproductive strategy in which the male of the species guards the egg clutches, which are typically laid on leaves or “mossy boulders one to two meters above small, slow moving streams.” It has the smallest adult body size among the other Limnonectes species on the island, with a maximum snout to vent length of 30mm...

Read more: https://reptilesmagazine.com/new-fanged-frog-species-discovered-in-indonesia

[critter-of-the-day]

22nd of July 2024: Djikoro Wart Frog

We’re starting this week with a frog, specifically the Djikoro Wart Frog (Limnonectes arathooni). They’re a frog from South Western Sulawesi, an island in Indonesia [1], and they’re around 3.5 cm long [2]. They are named after the British Consul who was working in the nearby city of Makasser around 1927, as Mr. L. S. Arathoon was apparently very helpful to Dr. Malcolm Smith during his travels there [3]. Unfortunately, there are seemingly no images of them online, as far as I could find, but L. phyllofolia is said to look very similar [2], so I chose an image of them instead.

They are found in leaf litter and on the sides of streams. Contrary to what one may expect, this makes it easier for them to dehydrate than frogs of the same genus who are entirely aquatic, as they don’t immediately try to conserve water when threatened with a drier environment [4]. Especially in the leaf litter they can be quite hidden, which is why the original discoverer only found male individuals, as he was finding them at night based on their calls, which he described as a shrill half-whistle, comparing it to “certain species of cricket“ [3].

They reproduce by laying eggs at indentations on the sides of the river. There the eggs begin to develop into tadpoles. When disturbed, the tadpoles will break out of the eggs and slither and fall into the stream [5]. This of course means they’re threatened by the potential of the streams drying out, and this combined with their already small mountain side habitat being degraded by human expansion means they’re classed as Vulnerable by the IUCN [6].

Sources:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [Image]

[scientificinquirer-blog]

The Big Picture: The Luzon Giant Fanged Bullfrog.

Limnonectes macrocephalus from Dipagsanghan. (CREDIT: MVW) Limnonectes macrocephalus, commonly known as the giant Philippine frog or large-headed frog, is a species of frog native to the Philippines. It belongs to the family Dicroglossidae and is known for its distinctive large head, which is especially prominent in males. This species inhabits a variety of environments, including primary and…

[nedsecondline]

The world’s smallest ‘fanged’ frog found in Indonesia

Researchers have identified a species of frog Limnonectes phyllofolia completely new to science. The tiny Indonesian amphibian is in the possession …The world’s smallest ‘fanged’ frog found in Indonesia

[meret118]

The biodiversity of frogs and toads demonstrates just how ingenious evolution can get. Some are like the glass frog, which resembles a particularly famous Muppet. Others are like the Colorado River toad, whose skin secretes a powerful hallucinogenic enzyme called 5-MeO-DMT. Then there is the so-called "horror frog" or hairy frog, which can break its own bones to pierce through its toes and form makeshift claws. But new frogs are being discovered all the time, notably in a new study in PLOS One, which adds another freaky frog to this list: Meet Limnonectes phyllofolia, the world's smallest "fanged" frog.

Measuring at 1.2 inches (30 millimeters) from snout to vent, L. phyllofolia inhabits an Indonesian region known as Sulawesi Island. Aside from its diminutive stature, the frog's most notable feature are a pair of "fangs" that jut out from its lower jawbone. (Yes, some frogs have teeth!) Resembling pairs of pinpricks from a human's vantage points, the features help the tiny amphibians fight each other, attract mates and crack open the shells of prey like crabs and centipedes. Additionally, L. phyllofolia are unusual among frog species in that the males rather than the females guard the clutches of eggs.

[frogs-from-bogs]

Limnonectes beloncioi by S.L. Travers

[stickyfrogs]

More Magnificent Friends from the Frog Pond at Kubah National Park, Borneo!

Four-lined tree frog (Polypedates leucomystax), Giant River Frog (Limnonectes leporinus), Dark-eared Tree Frog (Polypedates macrotis), and File-eared Tree Frog (Polypedates otilophus)!

[fedorahead]

from lots of googling, i have determined this is the cutest frog angle for pictures

limnonectes palavanensis -- guardian frog -- carries his tadpoles on his back from their hatch site to the water they'll turn to frogs in

a fantastic dad, just covered in babies

[toadschooled]

Fanged frogs are members of Limnonectes, a large genus of frogs that includes at least 75 scientifically recognized species.

They are distributed from India to China and Indochina, through the Thai-Malaysia Peninsula, and across the Sunda Shelf landmasses (Borneo, Sumatra, and Java), the Malukus, the Lesser Sunda island chain, parts of western New Guinea, and the Philippines.

Genetic samples of the new species, the Mindoro fanged frog (Limnonectes beloncioi), were collected several years ago on Mindoro Island in the central Philippines but weren’t analyzed until recently.

Because of its nearly identical physical similarity to a fanged frog on the island of Palawan, called the Acanth’s fanged frog (Limnonectes acanthi), it was assumed to be the same species.

However, because the fanged frogs inhabit islands separated by miles and miles of ocean, University of Kansas doctoral student Mark Herr and colleagues had doubts they were the same species, in part because they had different-sounding calls.

The researchers decided to analyze the frogs’ genome and determined the Mindoro fanged frog qualified as its own distinct species. “This is what we call a cryptic species because it was hiding in plain sight in front of biologists, for many, many years,” Herr said.

“We also found differences in their mating calls. They sound quite different. So, it was a case of using acoustics to determine that the species was different, as well as the new genetic information.”

“The frogs’ fangs likely are used in combat for access to prime mating sites and to protect themselves from predators,” he added.

Read more here: http://www.sci-news.com/biology/mindoro-fanged-frog-09628.html

[zoomology]

Frogs? Amphibians? What’s the Fuss?

I have always loved frogs, ever since I was a little boy.

I still haven’t put my finger on what exactly mesmerises me so much. Is it their slippery skin, their hopping legs and huge eyes? Is it their diversity, the number of different body shapes and colours they exhibit? Is it that they have semi-permiable skin by which they absorb oxygen, that some lay eggs that are translucent so you can see the young develop? Is it that some frogs carry their tadpoles/froglets on their back or even in their mouths? Is it that they undergo a dramatic metamorphosis from tadpole to frog? Is it that they are found on every continent except Antarctica, and that amphibians have existed on Earth for over 300 million years? Or, is it that nearly 168 species are believed to have gone extinct in the last two decades and more than 43% of the world’s amphibian species are in decline?

It is all these things and more.

I believe frogs to be particularly worthy of our interest and conservation, especially due to the worrying global amphibian population declines that appear to be one of the most severe examples of the Holocene extinction. The unprecedented loss of amphibians will have severe implications for global biodiversity.

Finding Frogs in Borneo

During our recent visit to Danau Girang Field Centre in Borneo, I was desperate to get out at night and photograph as many frogs as possible. Walking up and down the track from the jetty to the Centre we saw many species. We also managed to join Juan (a researcher at the Centre) and a few local guides during their field work which gave me more time to search. The following are some of the species we encountered.

Species Encountered

Family: Dicroglossidae

Fejervarya limnocharis [ASIAN GRASS FROG]

Limnonectes finchi [ROUGH GUARDIAN FROG] with tadpoles

Family: Microhylidae

Metaphrynella sundana [BORNEAN TREE-HOLE FROG]

Microhyla borneensis [MATANG NARROW-MOUTHED FROG]

Family: Ranidae

Chalcorana chalconota [WHITE-LIPPED FROG]

Hylarana glandulosa [ROUGH-SIDED FROG]

Family: Rhacophoridae

Kurixalus appendiculatus [FRILLED-TREE FROG]

Polypedates colletti [COLLETT’S TREE FROG]

Polypedates leucomystax [FOUR-LINED TREE FROG]

Polypedates macrotis [DARK-EARED TREE FROG]

To see larger versions of the above photos, click on the thumbnails below.

Limnonectes finchi [ROUGH GUARDIAN FROG] with tadpoles

Chalcorana chalconota [WHITE-LIPPED FROG]

Polypedates colletti [COLLETT’S TREE FROG]

Kurixalus appendiculatus [FRILLED-TREE FROG]

Microhyla borneensis [MATANG NARROW-MOUTHED FROG]

Polypedates leucomystax [FOUR-LINED TREE FROG]

Fejervarya limnocharis [ASIAN GRASS FROG]

Metaphrynella sundana [BORNEAN TREE-HOLE FROG]

Hylarana glandulosa [ROUGH-SIDED FROG]

Polypedates macrotis [DARK-EARED TREE FROG]

Although we managed to see a good number of species, there were many more we didn’t come across. I guess you can’t see everything you want at once. The only remedy is a return visit and more time exploring the forest. Well then, until next time!

Polypedates colletti [COLLETT’S TREE FROG]

Want to Read More?

If you’d like to read more about our trip to Borneo and the wildlife we encountered there, check out some of our other blog posts here:

References and Further Reading

Amphibia Website – https://amphibiaweb.org/declines/declines.html (Retrieved 8 November, 2017)

IUCN Red List Website, Asian Grass Frog – http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/58275/0 (Retrieved 8 November, 2017)

IUCN Red List Website, Bornean Tree-hole Frog – http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/57872/0 (Retrieved 8 November, 2017)

IUCN Red List Website, Collett’s Tree Frog –  http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/58942/0 (Retrieved 8 November, 2017)

IUCN Red List Website, Dark-eared Tree Frog – http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/58955/0 (Retrieved 8 November, 2017)

IUCN Red List Website, Four-lined Tree Frog – http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/58953/0(Retrieved 8 November, 2017)

IUCN Red list Website, Frilled tree frog – http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/58972/0(Retrieved 8 November, 2017)

IUCN Red List Website, Matang Narrow Mouthed Frog – http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/57877/0 (Retrieved 8 November, 2017)

IUCN Red List Website, Rough Guardian Frog – http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/58333/0 (Retrieved 8 November, 2017)

IUCN Red List Website, Rough-sided Frog – http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/58603/0 (Retrieved 8 November, 2017)

IUCN Red List Website, White-lipped Frog – http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/58568/0 (Retrieved 8 November, 2017)

Wikipedia Website, Decline in Amphibian Populations – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_in_amphibian_populations (Retrieved 8 November, 2017)

A few #forest #frogs from our adventures in #Borneo. 🐸🐸🐸 #Kinabatangan #Sabah #Malaysia Frogs? Amphibians? What's the Fuss? I have always loved frogs, ever since I was a little boy.