Rhacophorus | |
---|---|
Malabar gliding frog (Rhacophorus malabaricus) Note the elongated toes with prominent webbing. | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Anura |
Family: | Rhacophoridae |
Subfamily: | Rhacophorinae |
Genus: | Rhacophorus Kuhl & Van Hasselt, 1822 |
Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms | |
|
Rhacophorus is a genus of frogs in the shrub-frog family Rhacophoridae, which, with the related Hylidae, is one of the two genera of true tree frogs. They are found in China, India, Japan, and throughout Southeast Asia, including the island of Borneo. Over 40 species are currently recognised. [1]
These frogs have long toes with strong webbing between them, enabling the animals to strategically jump from tree to tree when threatened, using their webbing to gracefully “fall”, controlling their descent into a gliding motion. This is a form of arboreal locomotion known as parachuting. [2] This behavioral adaptation is the source of their common name, "flying frogs".
The present genus is closely related to Polypedates , which (formerly) was included in Rhacophorus. Even today, it is not fully agreed upon which of these genera "P." feae and the Chinese flying frog ("R." dennysi) properly belong to; furthermore, a supposedly new species, "P. pingbianensis", has been found to be the same as R. duboisi .
These frogs lay their eggs in aerial foam nests; upon hatching, tadpoles drop to the water under the nest and complete their development there. [3] [4] Some species like Rhacophorus kio will wrap this and cover this foam nest with leaves. [5]
These species are recognised in the genus Rhacophorus: [1] [6] [7]
The following is a partial phylogeny of Rhacophorus from Pyron & Wiens (2011). [8] Only nine species are included. Rhacophorus is a sister group of Polypedates . [8]
The Rhacophoridae are a family of frogs in tropical sub-Saharan Africa, South India and Sri Lanka, Japan, northeastern India to eastern China and Taiwan, south through the Philippines and Greater Sundas, and Sulawesi. They are commonly known as shrub frogs, or more ambiguously as "moss frogs" or "bush frogs". Some Rhacophoridae are called "tree frogs". Among the most spectacular members of this family are numerous "flying frogs".
The Rhacophorinae are a subfamily of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. They range from tropical Africa and Asia to temperate China and Japan.
Philautus is a genus of shrub frogs in the family Rhacophoridae from Asia. Some species in this genus are now considered extinct by IUCN, while others are widespread and abundant. The taxonomy of the group is unclear, with many poorly described species.
Theloderma, the bug-eyed frogs, mossy frogs or warty frogs, is a genus of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae, subfamily Rhacophorinae. They are found from northeastern India and southern China, through Southeast Asia, to the Greater Sunda Islands; the highest species richness is in Indochina. Some species, especially T. corticale, are sometimes kept in captivity.
Polypedates is a genus of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae, the shrub frogs and Paleotropic tree frogs. They belong to subfamily Rhacophorinae. Members of this genus are collectively known as whipping frogs. They occur in eastern and southern Asia.
The Malabar gliding frog or Malabar flying frog is a rhacophorid tree frog species found in the Western Ghats of India.
A flying frog is a frog that has the ability to achieve gliding flight. This means it can descend at an angle less than 45° relative to the horizontal. Other nonflying arboreal frogs can also descend, but only at angles greater than 45°, which is referred to as parachuting.
Wallace's flying frog, also known as the gliding frog or the Abah River flying frog, is a moss frog found at least from the Malay Peninsula into western Indonesia, and is present in Borneo and Sumatra. It is named for the biologist, Alfred R. Wallace, who collected the first known specimen.
Taruga eques is a species of tree frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to the central hills of Sri Lanka.
Rhacophorus bipunctatus is a frog species in the moss frog family (Rhacophoridae) found from eastern India into Southeast Asia, possibly to southeastern China and south to Malaysia. Due to the identification problems surrounding this species, the eastern and southern limits of its range remain undetermined; all that is known is that the species certainly occurs in the border region of India, Bangladesh, China and Myanmar; its range might extend south to Malaysia, as similar frogs have been reported from Pahang.
Rhacophorus rhodopus is a species of frog in the moss frog family (Rhacophoridae). It occurs in south-eastern Asia, from India to southern China, and south to Malaysia. Previously unknown from Laos, it has now been found in Phongsali Province and at Luang Prabang. Its taxonomy is disputed.
Rhacophorus poecilonotus, also known as the Sumatra flying frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to Sumatra, Indonesia.
Rhacophorus reinwardtii is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is variously known under the common names of black-webbed treefrog, green flying frog, Reinwardt's flying frog, or Reinwardt's treefrog. Before 2006, Rhacophorus reinwardtii and Rhacophorus kio were considered to be the same species. It is not considered threatened by the IUCN.
Vampyrius vampyrus is a medium-sized species of flying frogs endemic to Vietnam. It is found in southern Vietnam, and is not known to be found in other places globally. It Is in the kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, and class Amphibia. Along with this, it is in the order Anura, family Rhacophoridae, and it is the only member of the genus Vampyrus. It is also known as the vampire tree frog or the vampire flying frog because of the presence of a pair of fang-like hooks in the mouth of the tadpoles.
Gracixalus is a genus of shrub frogs from south-eastern Asia.
Rhacophorus kio is a species of flying frog in the family Rhacophoridae and is found in the rainforests of southeast Asia, in countries such as China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its ability to glide and its adhesive toe pads make it well adapted to its habitat of the rainforest. Prior to a 2006 study by Annemarie Ohler and Magali Delorme, R. kio and R. reinwardtii were thought to be the same species. The common name black-webbed treefrog can refer to either species. Compared to other frog species in the area, R. kio not only creates a foam nest that holds their eggs, but also creates a structure with leaves that will wrap around the eggs. While the conservation status of the species is currently classified as of least concern by the IUCN Red List, R. kio faces habitat loss from deforestation to make space for agriculture and other human influences.
Zhangixalus is a genus of frogs in the subfamily Rhacophorinae, family Rhacophoridae. They are collectively known as Zhang's treefrogs. They occur in the Eastern Himalayas, southern China, Taiwan, Japan, and southeast Asia.
Rhacophorus viridimaculatus, the green-spotted tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to Vietnam in Ha Giang Province and Tuyen Quang Province and suspected in China's Guangxi Province. It has been observed between 600 and 1300 meters above sea level.
Rhacophorus vanbanicus, the Van Ban treefrog, is a frog. It is endemic to Vietnam. Scientists know it exclusively from the type locality, 900 meters above sea level in the Van Ban District. It is suspected in China's Yunnan Province.