Ansonia spinulifer

Ansonia spinulifer
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Bufonidae
Genus:	Ansonia
Species:	A. spinulifer
Binomial name
Ansonia spinulifer (Mocquard, 1890)
Synonyms
Bufo spinuliferMocquard, 1890

Ansonia spinulifer, also known as spiny slender toad or Kina Balu stream toad, is a species of true toad in the family Bufonidae. It is found in Sarawak and Sabah, northern Borneo (Malaysia), and presumably also in Kalimantan on the Indonesian part of the island. ^[2]

Description

Ansonia spinulifer males measure 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in) and females up to 45 mm (1.8 in) in snout–vent length. ^[3] Tympanum is visible. ^[4] Dorsum has big spinose warts and usually a light spot between the shoulders. The warts are large and have keratinized projections, hence the species name. Tadpoles have the typical sucker mouth of rheophilous Ansonia tadpoles. ^[3]

Habitat and conservation

Its natural habitats are lowland rainforests at elevations of 150–750 m (490–2,460 ft) asl. Adults range widely over the floor and herb stratum in areas of steep terrain, but breeding requires small, clear, rocky-bottomed streams. ^[1] Males call at night, sitting in low vegetation close to streams. ^[3] The tadpoles live in torrents; they cling to rocks and feed on lithophytes. ^[1]

Ansonia spinulifer is common in Sarawak, ^[3] but it seems not to adapt to habitat modification. It is threatened by habitat loss (deforestation and the associated siltation of streams; plantations). ^[1]

References

1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2018). "Ansonia spinulifer". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018 e.T54483A114916610. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T54483A114916610.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
2. Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Ansonia spinulifer (Mocquard, 1890)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
3. Haas, A.; Hertwig, S.T.; Das, I. (2014). "Ansonia spinulifer. Spiny Slender Toad". Frogs of Borneo. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
4. Matsui, Masafumi; Wichase Khonsue; Jarujin Nabhitabhata (2005). "A new Ansonia from the Isthmus of Kra, Thailand (Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae)" (PDF). Zoological Science. 22 (7): 809–814. doi:10.2108/zsj.22.809. hdl: 2433/65038 . PMID   16082171. S2CID   37362242.