Philautus nephophilus
| Philautus nephophilus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Rhacophoridae |
| Genus: | Philautus |
| Species: | P. nephophilus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Philautus nephophilus Dehling, Matsui, and Yambun Imbun, 2016
| |
Philautus nephophilus is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to Malaysia, where it has been observed in Kinabalu National Park, between 1400 and 1800 meters above sea level.[2][1][3]
This frog has been found in primary forest and near the edges of forests.[3]
Scientists have not classified this frog as threatened because even though it has a small range, that range includes a well-managed park.[3]
The adult male frog measures 16.4–18.6 mm in snout-vent length and the adult female frog 20.3–23.1 mm. This frog can change color, being darker during the day, with a yellow belly and dark brown spots. At night, this frog's head and shoulders are deeper brown than the rest of the body. The sides of the back legs are gray in color with whitish spots or other marks. The skin around the tympanum is yellow in color. The iris of the eye is red in color, with horizontal pupils. This frog has teeth in its upper jaw. Its tongue is long and wide. All four legs are thin.[4]
Naming
The name nephophilus means: Nepenthes loving. The name was choosen because it prefers to live in pitcher plants (Nepenthes)
Lifestyle
The frog prefers to life in tropical pitcher plants. They mainly live in symbiosis with Nepenthes mollis. The frog lays his eggs inside the plant, the tadpoles only feed on the nutrients in their intestines, thats why their tadpoles only ave a small mouth with no teeth. Both partnes get an advantege: The frog gets shelter while the pitcher plant gets nutrients by the excretions of the tadpole. Even the adult frogs stay near the pitcher plants most of the time. the frog dont gets hurt by the enzyms of the plant, the mechanism behind that is not completely cleared.[5]
References
- ^ a b "Philautus nephophilus Milto, Poyarkov, Orlov, and Nguyen, 2013". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ Frost, Darrel R. "Philautus nephophilus Dehling, Matsui, and Yambun Imbun, 2016". Amphibian Species of the World, an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ a b c IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2023). "Philautus nephophilus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. p. e.T114114587A228483984. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T114114587A228483984.en. 114114587. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ Dehling JM; Matsui M; Imbun PY (2016). "A new small montane species of Philautus (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae) from Gunung Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo)". Salamandra. 52: 77–90. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ "Neue Froschart entdeckt - Kannenpflanzliebhaber aus Borneo | Naturhistorisches Museum Bern". www.nmbe.ch (in German). 2021-07-15. Retrieved 2025-05-16.