Hole-in-the-head frog

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Hole-in-the-head frog
Huia cavitympanum (10.3897-evolsyst.2.27020) Figure 4 (cropped).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Ranidae
Genus: Huia
Yang, 1991
Species:
H. cavitympanum
Binomial name
Huia cavitympanum
(Boulenger, 1896)

The hole-in-the-head frog (Huia cavitympanum) is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is the only member of the genus Huia. [2] It is found on the island of Borneo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and torrential rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss. [1]

Contents

H. cavitympanum is the only known species of frog to vocalize at only an ultrasonic level. [3] The frogs have eardrums recessed in the side of the skull, with an ear canal similar to mammals' anatomy. It appears to have evolved this higher pitch (more than 20 kHz) frequency of communication to circumvent the background noise of its waterfall habitat.

Taxonomy

H. cavitympanum is now considered the only member of this genus, but it was formerly a polyphyletic "wastebin taxon" with up to some 55 species. These included some originally placed into the genera Odorrana and Eburana, which formed a paraphyletic cluster; indeed these two genera are sometimes treated as junior synonyms of Huia. But many of the moves to Huia are now considered premature and Odorrana is now treated as valid as opposed to expanding Huia. [4]

Up till 2021, the genus was still paraphyletic with respect to Meristogenys . Suggested treatments included subsuming Meristogenys into the genus, or restricting Huia to the type species (H. cavitympanum) and what might be its closest living relatives (e.g. an undescribed species from Sumatra), and splitting off some other species of Huia - e.g. the Sumatran torrent frog (H. sumatrana). Meristogenys tadpoles are furthermore characterized by a split and ridged upper lip not found in the Hole-in-the-head Frog, indicating that the genera should kept separate. [4] This was ultimately resolved in 2021 by splitting off all non-cavitympanum species into the new genus Wijayarana , leaving the genus Huia monotypic. [2] [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">True frog</span> Family of frogs

True frogs is the common name for the frog family Ranidae. They have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica. The true frogs are present in North America, northern South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Asian range extends across the East Indies to New Guinea and a single species, the Australian wood frog, has spread into the far north of Australia.

<i>Amolops</i> Genus of amphibians

Amolops is a genus of true frogs native mainly to eastern and south-eastern Asia. These frogs are closely related to such genera as Huia, Meristogenys, Odorrana, Pelophylax and Rana, but still form a distinct lineage among the core radiation of true frogs. They are commonly known as "torrent frogs" after their favorite habitat - small rapid-flowing mountain and hill streams - but this name is used for many similar-looking frogs regardless of whether they are loosely related.

<i>Meristogenys</i> Genus of amphibians

Meristogenys is a genus of true frogs from Borneo. Its tadpoles are adapted to fast-flowing mountain streams and easily recognizable by their divided upper lip with ribs on the outside.

Odorrana tormota, also known as the concave-eared torrent frog, is a species of frog native to China. Its distribution is restricted to Huangshan Mountains in Anhui and Jiande and Anji counties in northern Zhejiang. It occurs in fast-flowing streams and the surrounding habitats, and breeds in streams. The informally assigned common name for frogs in this genus is torrent frog.

Amolops monticola is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, the "true frogs". It is found in the Northeast India, eastern Nepal, and western China, although there is some uncertainty regarding the Chinese records. It probably also occurs in the intervening Bhutan. Common names mountain sucker frog, mountain stream frog, mountain torrent frog, and mountain cascade frog have been coined for it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hose's frog</span> Species of amphibian

Hose's frog is a true frog species with a wide range in Southeast Asia. This species was named after zoologist Charles Hose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torrent frog</span> Index of animals with the same common name

Torrent frogs are a number of unrelated frogs that prefer to inhabit small rapid-flowing mountain or hill streams with a lot of torrents. They are generally smallish neobatrachians with a greyish-brown and usually darkly mottled back, giving them excellent camouflage among wet rocks overgrown with algae; their well-developed feet make them agile climbers of slippery rocks.

Amolops hainanensis is a species of frog in the family Ranidae that is endemic to southwestern and central Hainan, China. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is a sister taxa to both A. torrentis and A. daiyunnensis.

<i>Amolops ricketti</i> Species of frog

Amolops ricketti is a species of frog in the family Ranidae that is found in southern and eastern China and northern and central montane Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javan torrent frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Javan torrent frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is endemic to Java, Indonesia. It is found in Mount Halimun Salak National Park, Ujung Kulon National Park, and Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park in West Java, as well as in Dieng Nature Reserve in Central Java.

The Siamese cascade frog or spotted-snout frog is a species of frogs in the family Ranidae. It is endemic to western and northern Thailand and known from Kanchanaburi, Prachuap Kiri Khan, and Chiang Mai Provinces.

The Sumatran torrent frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is endemic to Indonesia. The informally assigned common name for frogs in this genus is torrent frog.

Meristogenys phaeomerus is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is endemic to Borneo and known from central Sarawak (Malaysia) and adjacent Kalimantan (Indonesia). The specific name phaeomerus is derived from the Greek phaios for "dusky" and meros for "thigh", in reference to the appearance of the rear of the thigh. Common names Kapit Borneo frog and Kapit torrent frog have been coined for it.

<i>Nannophrys ceylonensis</i> Species of amphibian

Nannophrys ceylonensis, commonly known as the Sri Lanka rock frog or the Ceylon streamlined frog, is a species of frog. It used to be placed in the large frog family Ranidae but a phylogenetic study was undertaken using DNA sequences and it is now included in the family Dicroglossidae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, rivers and streams.

Amolops daorum is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is known from its type locality in the vicinity of Sa Pa in northern Vietnam near the Chinese border, Hong Kong, and Houaphanh Province in eastern Laos; presumably it also occurs the intervening areas. The Hong Kong record is considered suspicious, however.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common green frog</span> Species of amphibian

The common green frog is a frog species of in the true frog family Ranidae; some sources still use the old name Rana erythraea. It lives in Southeast Asia and is also known as green paddy frog, red-eared frog or leaf frog. The last name, however, commonly refers to the Neotropical tree frogs which make up the subfamily Phyllomedusinae. These are not closely related to H. erythraea, belonging to family Hylidae instead.

<i>Odorrana graminea</i> Species of amphibian

Odorrana graminea, the large odorous frog, inhabits fast-flowing streams in elevated mountainous regions of Southern China and Northern Indochina. It is one of 56 species in the genus Odorrana. Male O. graminea are noted for their ultrasonic call characteristics and are one of three frog species able to detect ultrasonic frequencies, likely evolved to facilitate communication amidst noisy streams and waterfalls. Studies on O. graminea courtship vocalizations suggest female preference for increased proportion of nonlinear vocal phenomena (NLP).

<i>Humerana lateralis</i> Species of amphibian

Humerana lateralis is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is commonly known as Kokarit frog, yellow frog or (ambiguously) wood frog.

<i>Odorrana</i> Genus of amphibians

Odorrana, commonly known as odorous frogs, is a genus of true frogs (Ranidae) from East Asia and surrounding regions. Many of these frogs inhabit fast-flowing mountain streams, and they typically have a remarkably pointed snout, as evidenced by common names like tip-nosed frog and scientific names like nasica or nasutus.

<i>Wijayarana</i>

Wijayarana is a group of true frogs found in Southeast Asia. Their common name is Wijaya cascade frogs. Many are commonly known as "torrent frogs" after their favorite habitat - small rapid-flowing mountain and hill streams -, but this name is used for many similar-looking frogs regardless of whether they are closely related.

References

  1. 1 2 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2019). "Huia cavitympanum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T58302A114920217. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T58302A114920217.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Huia Yang, 1991". Amphibian Species of the World.
  3. Arch, V.S.; Grafe, T.U.; Gridi-Papp, M; Narins, P.M. (2009). "Pure Ultrasonic Communication in an Endemic Bornean Frog". PLOS ONE. 4 (4): e5413. Bibcode:2009PLoSO...4.5413A. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005413 . PMC   2671607 . PMID   19401782.
  4. 1 2 Cai et al. (2007), Stuart (2008)
  5. Arifin, Umilaela; Chan, Kin Onn; Smart, Utpal; Hertwig, Stefan T; Smith, Eric N; Iskandar, Djoko T; Haas, Alexander (2021-01-12). "Revisiting the phylogenetic predicament of the genus Huia (Amphibia: Ranidae) using molecular data and tadpole morphology". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 193 (2): 673–699. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa158. ISSN   0024-4082.

Wikispecies-logo.svg Data related to Huia cavitympanum at Wikispecies