Category: Frog of the Week

Common Name: Java Indonesian Tree Frog or Pearly Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Nyctixalus margaritifer
Family: Rhacophoridae – Asian Tree Frog family
Locations: Indonesia
Female Size: 1.2 – 1.7 inches (31 – 43 mm)
Male Size: 1.2 – 1.3 inches (30 – 33 mm)

The Java Indonesian Tree Frog lives high in trees in the mountains on Java Island. Sadly, not much is known about the species.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Java Indonesian Tree Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. They were considered Vulnerable to Extinction until new populations of the frogs were found. However, the frogs are still threatened by habitat loss from cutting down forests to make room for more coffee, tea, and rice farms.

Common Name: Granular Glass Frog
Scientific Name: Cochranella granulosa
Family: Centrolenidae – Glass Frog family
Locations: Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama
Male Size: 0.8 – 1.1 inches (22 – 29 mm)
Female Size: 1.1 – 1.25 inches (29 – 32 mm)

The Granular Glass Frog lives in the trees and bushes of montane and humid lowland forests. They are a nocturnal species of frog, spending most of their day hiding on leaves. During the breeding season, the males of the species call from vegetation overhanging streams. Once the female arrive, the male grabs them from behind in amplexus. Then, the female lays her eggs and the male fertilizes them. The female lays between 49 – 60 eggs in a clutch on the vegetation above the stream. Neither parent provides any care for their offspring. Once the eggs hatch, the tadpoles fall into the stream below where they will complete their metamorphosis.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Granular Glass Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a large range and presumed large population. While the frog is in good standing currently, deforestation in its region could be a threat in the future.

Common Name: Palawan Horned Frog
Scientific Name: Pelobatrachus ligayae
Family: Megophrynidae – Asian Leaf Litter Frog family
Locations: Philippines
Size: 2.7 – 4.3 inches (70 – 110 mm)

The Palawan Horned Frog lives in the leaf litter of montane and lowland rainforests on the islands of Balabac and Palawan. The frog sits most of the day, camouflaged amongst the leaves waiting for its prey to walk by. Once the prey crosses its path, the frog grabs the prey with its mouth and tries to swallow it whole. The eggs are laid in shallow, slow moving streams.

The frog was in genus Megophrys before being moved in 2021. It was also considered the same species as the Asian Horned Frog (Megophrys montana) before being moved to its own species in 1998.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Palawan Horned Frog as Near Threatened with Extinction. The main threat to the frogs is the continued destruction of the rain forests they call home by humans Why are people doing this? Well for a lot of reasons. First, they want more room for cities, small farms, palm oil plantations, and mining. Next, the wood is wanted for charcoal making. Finally, the streams that they use for breeding get polluted by these activities. Better protection of these forests are needed to keep the frogs from becoming extinct.

Common Name: Sabana Surinam Toad, Suriname Dwarf Toad
Scientific Name: Pipa parva
Family: Pipidae– Tongueless Frog family
Locations: Colombia and Venezuela
Size: 0.86 – 1.73 inches (27 – 44 mm)

The Sabana Surinam Toad lives in the lakes, ponds, and marshes in the Lake Maracaibo Basin and has expanded its range recently to the Lake Valencia Basin. It is a highly aquatic species, only moving on land once their water bodies start to dry up or during the rain.

Reproduction methods of the toad is similar to the other toads in the family. In the water, the male frog grabs the female from behind around the waist. Then, the female frog starts to swim up to the surface and somersaults back down repeatedly. She lays her eggs while she does this and the male fertilizes the eggs and pushes them into her back. The female carries the eggs around in her back for around 30 days before the eggs hatch and tadpoles come out.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Sabana Surinam Toad as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a wide range, large population, and are very adaptable to changes. The toads are even expanding their range which could have negative effects on other species. There are no threats known to the frog atm.

Common Name: Brimley’s Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris brimleyi
Family: Hylidae – Tree Frog family
Locations: United States – Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia
Size: 1 – 1.3 inches(2.5 – 3.2 cm)

The Brimley’s Chorus Frog lives along the southeastern coast of the United States. Mating season for the frog lasts from December to April with more northern populations starting closer to February. The male frogs call from flooded ditches and shallow ponds to attract the females. Once the female arrives, the male grasps her from behind aka amplexus. Then, she lays her eggs and the male fertilizes them. Females lay up to 300 eggs in the water. Neither parent provides any care for their offspring. Tadpoles take 4 to 8 weeks to complete their metamorphosis.

The frog is named after Clement Samuel Brimley, a herpetologist from North Carolina and worked at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. It is not named for his brother Herbert Hutchinson Brimley who worked at the same museum as Clement. Kinda rude tbh

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Brimley’s Chorus Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a decent range and are thought to be common throughout it.

Common Name: Black Spotted Rock Frog or Black Spotter Rock Slipper
Scientific Name: Staurois guttatus
Family: Ranidae – True Frog Family
Locations: Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia
Female Size:  38.0 – 54.7 mm
Male Size: 34.9 – 37.7 mm 

The Black Spotted Rock Frog lives along rocky, clear, fast moving streams in forests. They are a diurnal species of frog (active during the day). The frogs are able to live amongst the loud streams thanks to their ability to communicate through foot flagging. There are some other species that foot flag but they are one of the only ones where both males and females do the behavior.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Black Spotted Rock Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a good size range and are numerous throughout it. The deforestation in the region is the primary threat to the frog. People are clearing the forests to make room for oil palm plantations, towns, or just to just sell the lumber.

Common Name: Crowned Bullfrog, African Groove-Crowned Bullfrog
Scientific Name: Hoplobatrachus occipitalis
Family: Dicroglossidae – Forked Tongue Frog family
Locations: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia
Size: 2.6 – 5.3 inches (68 – 135 mm)

The Crowned Bullfrog lives in savannas and some forests in sub-Saharan Africa. Frogs start to move to temporary ponds once the rainy season starts and the ponds start filling up. The Crowned Bullfrog takes the phrase don’t store all your eggs in one basket to heart. The mating pair only deposits a few eggs per rock pool and move on to the next one to prevent all their offspring from being eaten by one predator or drying out.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Crowned Bullfrog as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a extremely wide range and are common throughout it. Overharvesting of the frogs is a problem for locale populations but overall, not a serious threat.

Common Name: Northern Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Notaden melanoscaphus
Family: Myobatrachidae – Australian Ground Frog family
Locations: Australia – Western Australia, Northern Territory, and Queensland
Size: 2 inches (5 cm)

The Northern Spadefoot Toad lives in savannahs and grasslands in northern Australia. They are not a technically a “True Toad” member of the family Bufonidae (side note – no species of true toads are native to Australia) but they share many characteristics. Both are short and fat with small hind legs, but the Northern Spadefoot Toad lacks parotoid gland behind in their eyes that contain toxins that Bufonidae toads have.

They spend most of their time underground, only coming to the surface to mate. Mating takes place after heavy rains that fill shallow areas with water. The males call while floating in the pools. Once the female arrives, the male grasps her from behind in amplexus. Then, she lays her eggs and the male fertilizes them. Females lay between 500 – 1400 eggs. Tadpoles take 8 week to complete their metamorphosis.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Northern Spadefoot Toad as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a wide range and presumed large population.