Microhyla borneensis

Last updated

Contents

Microhyla borneensis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Microhylidae
Genus: Microhyla
Species:
M. borneensis
Binomial name
Microhyla borneensis
Parker, 1928
Synonyms

Microhyla nepenthicola Das  [ fr; de ] and Haas, 2010

Microhyla borneensis (junior synonym Microhyla nepenthicola), also known as the Matang narrow-mouthed frog, is a species of microhylid frog found in the Matang Range in Sarawak, Borneo. [2] [3] It was once the smallest known frog from the Old World [4] [5] (since 2012, the record holder has been Paedophryne amauensis from New Guinea [6] ). Adult males of this species generally have a snout–vent length (SVL) in the range of 10.6–12.8 mm (0.42–0.50 in), [7] but may reach a maximum of 13 mm (0.51 in). Adult females have an SVL of 16–19 mm (0.63–0.75 in). [3] [8] The tadpoles measure just 3 mm. [9]

Discovery

Microhyla borneensis was first described by Hampton Wildman Parker in 1928. [2] Frogs of the species that was eventually described as Microhyla nepenthicola had been known for at least 100 years prior to its description in 2010. However, scientists had always assumed that the frogs were juveniles of another species. Researchers Indraneil Das  [ fr; de ] and Alexander Haas recognized that they were actually adults when they heard the frogs calling in Kubah National Park, since only adult frogs make calls. [9] Adult males call from the pitcher plants at dusk. [10] However, in 2011 it was shown that M. borneensis and M. nepenthicola are the same species. [2] What was until that point commonly known as Microhyla borneensis was another species, newly described as Microhyla malang . [11]

The smallest known Old World frog species prior to the description of Microhyla nepenthicola were Stumpffia pygmaea and Stumpffia tridactyla : S. pygmaea with an SVL of 10–12.5 mm; S. tridactyla with an SVL of 8.6–12 mm. [7] [12]

Description

Microhyla borneensis is a very small species with a snout–vent length of about 18 mm (0.71 in) for females and around two thirds of this for males. It has a broadly triangular body that is flattened dorso-ventrally. The snout is obtusely pointed, the eyes are small and have round pupils and there are no visible tympani. The skin on the dorsal surface may be smooth or bear tubercles and that of the ventral surface is always smooth. The limbs are short. The hands are unwebbed and the outer digits are spatulate. The digits of the feet are partially webbed. [13] M. borneensis has less webbing on its feet than most frogs, which may be beneficial when trying to climb the sides of the pitcher plants, which can be slippery. [10] [13] The dorsal surface of this frog is reddish-brown, the throat is mottled brown and the ventral surface is pale. [13]

Distribution and habitat

Microhyla borneensis is known from the Matang Range in Sarawak, Borneo, [2] [3] but it is presumably widespread in suitable habitats in the lowlands of northern Borneo. [3]

M. borneensis is found near Mount Serapi in Kubah National Park, Sarawak, Borneo. It spends much of its life cycle in the traps of the pitcher plant Nepenthes ampullaria , after which it is named. It is therefore considered a nepenthebiont. This is not particularly unusual; in fact, it shares this environment with a species of crab spider, Henriksenia labuanica , which is also commonly found in Nepenthes pitchers. This spider's former binomen, Misumenops nepenthicola, and that of the related species of Singapore, Henriksenia nepenthicola , had the specific epithet nepenthicola applied for this reason.

Reproduction

Microhyla borneensis breeds in the water-filled pitchers of Nepenthes ampullaria , a pitcher plant that is a feature of the floor of the Borneo rainforest. Multiple clutches may be laid in the same pitcher which may contain tadpoles of different ages. Metamorphosis takes place about a fortnight after the eggs are laid. [13]

Status

This frog is seldom seen, perhaps because of its small size and inconspicuous appearance. Its numbers are thought to be in slow decline but the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) rates it as being of "Least Concern" as it considers that the rate of decline is insufficient to justify listing it in a more threatened category. No particular threats to this species have been identified. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Microhyla sholigari</i> Species of amphibian

Microhyla sholigari is a species of microhylid frog endemic to southern India. It was described from the Biligirirangan Hills in Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka and is named after the Soliga tribal people living in the forests in and around these hills. The frog was thought to be endemic to the Western Ghats and known only from the type locality and another location in Kerala and was listed as an Endangered species. A recent study reported the species from 15 localities in the central Western Ghats with individuals sighted near the Bannerghatta National Park, Bangalore, Karnataka. The study supplemented the original species description with color photographs, call recordings and provided a re-assessment of the threat status as per the IUCN Red List and suggest the status as Least-concern species because the criteria for classifying it as an endangered species are no longer fulfilled.

<i>Stumpffia</i> Genus of amphibians

Stumpffia is a genus of microhylid frogs that are endemic to Madagascar. They are mostly brown frogs that typically live among leaf litter. S. contumelia has a snout–vent length of about 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in), making it one of the world's smallest frogs, and several others in the genus are only slightly larger. The largest species is no more than 28 mm (1.1 in).

<i>Nepenthes ampullaria</i> Species of pitcher plant

Nepenthes ampullaria is a very distinctive and widespread species of tropical pitcher plant, present in Borneo, the Maluku Islands, New Guinea, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, and Thailand.

<i>Nepenthes bicalcarata</i> Species of pitcher plant from Borneo

Nepenthes bicalcarata, also known as the fanged pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to northwestern Borneo, Indonesia. It is a myrmecophyte noted for its mutualistic association with a species of ant, Camponotus schmitzi. As an ant-fed plant it lacks many of the features that characterise the carnivorous syndrome in Nepenthes, including viscoelastic and highly acidic pitcher fluid, the waxy zone of the pitcher interior, and possibly even functional digestive enzymes.

<i>Nepenthes</i> infauna Organisms that inhabit the pitchers of Nepenthes plants

Nepenthesinfauna are the organisms that inhabit the pitchers of Nepenthes plants. These include fly and midge larvae, spiders, mites, ants, and even a species of crab, Geosesarma malayanum. The most common and conspicuous predators found in pitchers are mosquito larvae, which consume large numbers of other larvae during their development. Many of these animals are so specialised that they cannot survive anywhere else, and are referred to as nepenthebionts.

Henriksenia nepenthicola, synonym Misumenops nepenthicola, is a species of crab spider. It is native to Singapore. It lives inside the pitchers of a number of lowland Nepenthes pitcher plants. As such, it is classified as a nepenthephile. They are slow-moving spiders which do not actively hunt. Males and females both reach a length of 6 mm.

<i>Microhyla berdmorei</i> Species of amphibian

Microhyla berdmorei, commonly known as Berdmore's chorus frog, Berdmore's narrow-mouthed frog, Burmese microhylid frog, large pygmy frog, and Pegu rice frog, is a species of narrow-mouthed frog found in eastern India, Bangladesh, southernmost China (Yunnan), Mainland Southeast Asia as well as Borneo and Sumatra. Frogs from Bangladesh probably represent an unnamed species.

<i>Microhyla heymonsi</i> Species of amphibian

Microhyla heymonsi, also known as the dark-sided chorus frog or the Taiwan rice frog, is a species of narrow-mouthed frog found in northeastern India, southern China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia south to the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra as well as the Great Nicobar Island. It was originally described from Taiwan.

<i>Nanohyla perparva</i> Species of amphibian

Nanohyla perparva is a diminutive species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Borneo and found in Kalimantan (Indonesia), Brunei, and Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysia). The nominal species includes distinct lineages that likely represent different species. Common names least narrow-mouthed frog and Labang forest rice frog have been proposed for this species.

<i>Stumpffia pygmaea</i> Species of frog

Stumpffia pygmaea is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Madagascar, where it is known from only two islands, Nosy Be and Nosy Komba. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, plantations.

<i>Stumpffia tridactyla</i> Species of frog

Stumpffia tridactyla is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss, Stumpffia tridactyla with a snout-vent length of 8.6–12 mm (0.34–0.47 in),Stumpffia tridactyla is a terrestrial microhylid frog, its males average length is 10–11 mm (0.39–0.43 in).Stumpffia tridactyla are usually slow moving critters but, when startled they can jump sharply up to 20 cm considering their small size.

Limnonectes kenepaiensis is a species of frog in the family Dicroglossidae. It is endemic to western Borneo and occurs in both Kalimantan (Indonesia) and Sarawak (Malaysia), and perhaps in Sabah (Malaysia). Common name Kenepai wart frog has been coined for it. It was first described as subspecies of Limnonectes paramacrodon, which it resembles.

Meristogenys whiteheadi is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is endemic to Borneo and found in both Indonesia (Kalimantan) and Malaysia. Meristogenys stigmachilus and Meristogenys stenocephalus, described as new species in 2011, were formerly included in this species. Owing to the difficulty of distinguishing these species under field conditions, the exact range of this species is uncertain. Its common name is Whitehead's Borneo frog or Whitehead's torrent frog.

<i>Microhyla fissipes</i> Species of amphibian

Microhyla fissipes is a microhylid frog from East and Southeast Asia, from southern and central China and Taiwan to the Malay Peninsula. It was previously considered to be the same species as Microhyla ornata of South Asia; thus the common names ornate narrow-mouthed frog or ornamented pygmy frog can refer to either species.

Pelophryne linanitensis, also known as the Linanit dwarf toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Batu Linanit in Mount Murud in Sarawak, Borneo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kubah National Park</span>

The Kubah National Park is a national park in Kuching Division, Sarawak, Malaysia, located at 20 km from the city centre.

<i>Feihyla inexpectata</i> Species of frog

Feihyla inexpectata is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. This recently (2014) described species is endemic to Malaysian Borneo and known from its type locality in the Maliau Basin Conservation Area, Sandakan Division, Sabah and from Danum Valley, also in Sabah. Common name Bornean opposite-fingered tree frog has been coined for it.

<i>Rhacophorus borneensis</i> Species of frog

Rhacophorus borneensis is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. This recently (2013) described species is endemic to Malaysian Borneo where it is known from its type locality in the Maliau Basin Conservation Area, Sandakan Division, Sabah as well as from the Batang Ai National Park, Sarawak. Prior to its description, it was included in Rhacophorus reinwardtii. It is said to be "one of the prettiest frogs of Borneo". Common name Borneo flying frog has been coined for it.

<i>Mini</i> (frog) Genus of amphibians

Mini is a genus of small microhylid frogs that are endemic to southeastern Madagascar where they live among leaf litter in lowland forests. The three species and the genus itself were only scientifically described in 2019; although not yet rated by the IUCN, they have very small ranges and it has been recommended that two qualify as critically endangered and M. ature as data deficient.

<i>Mini scule</i> Species of microhylid frog endemic to Madagascar

Mini scule is a species of microhylid frog endemic to Madagascar that was described in 2019. The scientific name of the species refers to its size, being a pun on the word miniscule. It measures only 8.4 to 10.8 mm in snout–vent length. It has bronze underparts with a brown groin and back of the thigh, cream upperparts with brown flecking, a dark brown side of the head, and a red iris. It is known only from the Sainte Luce Reserve, where it inhabits areas with deep leaf litter near semi-permanent water bodies. Specimens of frogs from Mandena, the Vohimena mountains, the southern Anosy Mountains, and Tsitongambarika may also be of this species. Like other species in the genus Mini, it received media attention when first described due to the wordplay in its scientific name.

References

  1. 1 2 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2018). "Microhyla borneensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T47005754A47005758. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T47005754A47005758.en . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Frost, Darrel R. (2015). "Microhyla borneensis Parker, 1928". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Haas, A.; Das, I.; Hertwig, S. T. (2015), "Microhyla borneensis Matang narrow-mouthed frog", Frogs of Borneo: The frogs of East Malaysia and their larval forms, retrieved 23 November 2015
  4. ↑ "Tiny, New, Pea-Sized Frog Is Old World's Smallest". Science Daily . 25 August 2010.
  5. ↑ Gururaja, K. V. (October 2010). "Old World's smallest frog discovered residing in killer plants". Correspondence. Current Science. 99 (8): 1000.
  6. ↑ Rittmeyer, Eric N.; Allison, Allen; Gründler, Michael C.; Thompson, Derrick K.; Austin, Christopher C. (11 January 2012). "Ecological Guild Evolution and the Discovery of the World's Smallest Vertebrate". PLOS ONE. 7 (1): e29797. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...729797R. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029797 . PMC   3256195 . PMID   22253785.
  7. 1 2 Das, I. & A. Haas. (2010). "New species of Microhyla from Sarawak: Old World's smallest frogs crawl out of miniature pitcher plants on Borneo (Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae)" (PDF). Zootaxa. 2571: 37–52. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2571.1.2.
  8. ↑ Baker, Nick (n.d.). "Amphibians of SE Asia: Bornean Chorus Frog Microhyla borneensis" Ecology Asia
  9. 1 2 "World's smallest frog is size of a pea". New York Post . 26 August 2006. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  10. 1 2 "Microhyla nepenthicola sp. nov". Conservation International . Retrieved 27 August 2010.
  11. ↑ Frost, Darrel R. (2015). "Microhyla malang Matsui, 2011". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  12. ↑ Rakotoarison, Andolalao; Mark D. Scherz; Frank Glaw; Joern Koehler; Franco Andreone; Michael Franzen; et al. (November 2017). "Describing the smaller majority: integrative taxonomy reveals twenty-six new species of tiny microhylid frogs (genus Stumpffia) from Madagascar" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 67 (3): 271–398. doi: 10.3897/vz.67.e31595 . ISSN   1864-5755.
    • "Stumpffia pygmaea Vences & Glaw, 1991" p. 310
    • "Stumpffia tridactyla Guibé, 1975" pp. 336–338
  13. 1 2 3 4 Whittaker, Kellie; Zhuang, Mingna (Vicky) (29 October 2014) [First published 26 May 2011]. "Microhyla borneensis". AmphibiaWeb. Berkeley, California (US): University of California.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.