Alcalus

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Alcalus
Ingerana tasanae.jpg
Alcalus tasanae from Thailand
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Ceratobatrachidae
Subfamily: Alcalinae
Brown  [ fr ], Siler, Richards  [ fr ], Diesmos  [ fr ], and Cannatella  [ fr ], 2015 [1]
Genus: Alcalus
Brown, Siler, Richards, Diesmos, and Cannatella, 2015 [1]
Type species
Micrixalus mariae
Inger, 1954
Species

5 species (see text)

Alcalus is a small genus of frogs in the family Ceratobatrachidae. [2] [3] It is the only member of the subfamily Alcalinae. Its sister taxon is Ceratobatrachinae. [4] Common name Alcala's dwarf mountain frogs has been proposed for the genus. They are found in Palawan Island (the Philippines), Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula. [2] They prefer semi-aquatic microhabitats. [1]

Contents

Etymology

The genus is named in honour of Angel Alcala, a Filipino biologist who has worked with Southeast Asian amphibians. [1]

Description

Compared to the closely related genera Cornufer and Platymantis , Alcalus have an intermediate body size (based on Alcalus baluensis and A. mariae , males measure 20–37 mm (0.79–1.46 in) and females 26–43 mm (1.0–1.7 in) in snout–vent length). The head is broad. Skin is coarsely textured, shagreened, or ‘wrinkled’ in appearance. The toe discs are widely expanded; inter-digital webbing is extensive. Males have nuptial pads but lack vocal sacs. [1]

Species

There are five species: [2] [3]

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<i>Alcalus mariae</i> Species of amphibian

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<i>Cornufer heffernani</i> Species of amphibian

Cornufer heffernani, sometimes known as the Solomon Island palm frog, is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to the Solomon Islands archipelago where it can be found in at least Buka and Bougainville Islands of Papua New Guinea and Choiseul and Santa Isabel Islands of the Solomon Islands, but probably also more widely. The specific name heffernani honours Mr. N. S. Heffernan, who collected the type series.

<i>Platymantis insulatus</i> Species of amphibian

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Leptobrachium mangyanorum is a species of frog in the family Megophryidae. It is endemic to the Philippines and known with certainty only from the island of Mindoro, although it might also occur on the nearby Semirara Island. Even though this species was formally described only in 2010, Edward Harrison Taylor had already in 1920s recognized that it is distinct from Leptobrachium hasseltii, the name used for Philippine Leptobrachium at the time. Common name Mindoro litter frog has been coined for this species.

Alcalus sariba, also known as Saribau eastern frog or Saribau dwarf mountain frog, is a species of frog in the subfamily Alcalinae, family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, where it is known from a small number of locations, including the eponymous Mount Saribau. It has often been included in Alcalus baluensis, but is now considered a distinct species. The two species are similar but Alcalus sariba is larger.

<i>Limnonectes beloncioi</i> Species of amphibian

Limnonectes beloncioi, also known as the Mindoro fanged frog, is a species of frog in the family Dicroglossidae. It is endemic to the Philippines and currently known from Mindoro and Semirara Islands. It is morphologically similar, previously confused with, and closely related to Limnonectes acanthi. The actual range of L. beloncioi could be wider but the status of similar frogs beyond Mindoro and Semirara requires further study.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Brown, Rafe M.; Siler, Cameron D.; Richards, Stephen J.; Diesmos, Arvin C. & Cannatella, David C. (2015). "Multilocus phylogeny and a new classification for Southeast Asian and Melanesian forest frogs (family Ceratobatrachidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 174 (1): 130–168. doi: 10.1111/zoj.12232 .
  2. 1 2 3 Frost, Darrel R. (2020). "Alcalus Brown, Siler, Richards, Diesmos, and Cannatella, 2015". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001 . Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Ceratobatrachidae". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  4. Frost, Darrel R. (2020). "Alcalinae Brown, Siler, Richards, Diesmos, and Cannatella, 2015". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001 . Retrieved 21 June 2020.