Rhacophorus nigropalmatus
Encyclopedia
The Abah River Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus), commonly known as Wallace's Flying Frog, is a moss frog
found at least from to Malay Peninsula
into western Indonesia
. It is named for the biologist, Alfred R. Wallace
, who collected the first specimen to be formally identified.
R. dennysii, R. maximus
and Polypedates feae
were once contained within Wallace's Fyling Frog as subspecies
. Similar frogs also occur in Laos
, Vietnam
and southern China
; these may be R. nigropalmatus or an undescribed closely related species.
, due to its large size, brilliant colors, and interesting behavior. With a body length of 80-100 mm (males are smaller than females), it is one of the largest species of Rhacophorus
. Its eyes and eardrums
are large, its limbs are very long, and its fingers and toes are webbed right to the tips. Together with a fringe of skin stretching between the limbs, this flying frog
can parachute to the forest floor from high up in the trees where it is normally found.
Its back is bright shiny green and the underside is white to pale yellow. The upperside of the inside toes as well as the outer part of the toe and finger webbing is brilliant yellow. The base of the webs as well as one flank spot per side are jet black. Overall, this frog looks much like the Green Flying Frog (R. reinwardtii) or R. kio, which even if full grown do not reach the size of Wallace's Flying Frog however, and have the fringe of the webs more orange.
south to Endau
and Rompin
on the Malay Peninsula
; in the Indonesia
n archipelago
it is found on Borneo
and Sumatra
. It is a lowland species, occurring up to 600 meters ASL
.
It is most frequently found in tropical and perhaps (to the north of its known range) subtropical primary rainforest
, but will also inhabit old secondary forest
and overgrown fields. It avoids open areas and low growth, depending on a mixed growth containing trees of several meters height. Usually it is not often encountered, preferring a life up in the treetops. In breeding season however, these frogs descend to pools on the forest floor, often in considerable numbers. As usual for moss frogs, its eggs are attached to shrubs overhanging such pools and puddles, from where the tadpole
s drop down into the water after hatching.
Due to its wide range, Wallace's Flying Frog is not considered threatened by the IUCN.
Moss frog
A moss frog belongs to either of two neobatrachian lineages, both found in sub-Saharan Africa and one also in Asia:* Arthroleptella, a genus of true frogs from southern Africa* Rhacophoridae, a family of the Old World Tropics...
found at least from to Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
into western Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It is named for the biologist, Alfred R. Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace, OM, FRS was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist...
, who collected the first specimen to be formally identified.
R. dennysii, R. maximus
Rhacophorus maximus
Rhacophorus maximus is a species of frog in the Rhacophoridae family.It is found in Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, possibly Bhutan, and possibly Laos....
and Polypedates feae
Polypedates feae
Polypedates feae is a species of frog in the Rhacophoridae family. It might be a member of the genus Rhacophorus.It is found in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam....
were once contained within Wallace's Fyling Frog as subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
. Similar frogs also occur in Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and southern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
; these may be R. nigropalmatus or an undescribed closely related species.
Description
This frog is quite photogenicPhotogenic
A subject is photogenic if appearing aesthetically or physically attractive or appealing in photographs. Photogenic drawing, coined by William Fox Talbot, also describes the earliest method for recording camera images....
, due to its large size, brilliant colors, and interesting behavior. With a body length of 80-100 mm (males are smaller than females), it is one of the largest species of Rhacophorus
Rhacophorus
Rhacophorus is a genus of frogs in the moss frog family which together with the related Hylidae makes up the true tree frogs. They live in India, Japan, Madagascar, Africa, and Southeast Asia...
. Its eyes and eardrums
Eardrum
The eardrum, or tympanic membrane, is a thin membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear in humans and other tetrapods. Its function is to transmit sound from the air to the ossicles inside the middle ear. The malleus bone bridges the gap between the eardrum and the other ossicles...
are large, its limbs are very long, and its fingers and toes are webbed right to the tips. Together with a fringe of skin stretching between the limbs, this flying frog
Flying frog
A "flying" frog is a frog that has the ability to glide. That is, it can descend at an angle of less than 45° relative to the horizontal. Arboreal frogs can also descend vertically, but only at angles greater than 45°, which is referred to as parachuting...
can parachute to the forest floor from high up in the trees where it is normally found.
Its back is bright shiny green and the underside is white to pale yellow. The upperside of the inside toes as well as the outer part of the toe and finger webbing is brilliant yellow. The base of the webs as well as one flank spot per side are jet black. Overall, this frog looks much like the Green Flying Frog (R. reinwardtii) or R. kio, which even if full grown do not reach the size of Wallace's Flying Frog however, and have the fringe of the webs more orange.
Distribution and ecology
This species' verified range extends from RanongRanong
Ranong ) is a town in southern Thailand, capital of the Ranong Province and the Mueang Ranong district. The town covers completely the area of the tambon Khao Niwet . As of 2005 it has a population of 16,163, and has town status .The town is located at the estuary of the Pak Chan River, opposite...
south to Endau
Endau
Endau is a small town in Malaysia. It lies on the northern tip of east Johor and the southern tip of Pahang. It is famous as one of the largest fishing ports on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia.Located north of Mersing...
and Rompin
Rompin
Rompin is a small fishing village and township on the southern end of Pahang, Malaysia. It is located within the district of Rompin. The Rompin River flows through the town. The Endau Rompin National Park is partly situated within the Rompin district....
on the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
; in the Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
it is found on Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
and Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
. It is a lowland species, occurring up to 600 meters ASL
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
.
It is most frequently found in tropical and perhaps (to the north of its known range) subtropical primary rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
, but will also inhabit old secondary forest
Secondary forest
A secondary forest is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a major disturbance such as fire, insect infestation, timber harvest or windthrow, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident...
and overgrown fields. It avoids open areas and low growth, depending on a mixed growth containing trees of several meters height. Usually it is not often encountered, preferring a life up in the treetops. In breeding season however, these frogs descend to pools on the forest floor, often in considerable numbers. As usual for moss frogs, its eggs are attached to shrubs overhanging such pools and puddles, from where the tadpole
Tadpole
A tadpole or polliwog is the wholly aquatic larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly that of a frog or toad.- Appellation :...
s drop down into the water after hatching.
Due to its wide range, Wallace's Flying Frog is not considered threatened by the IUCN.