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Family : MICROHYLIDAE
Species : Glyphoglossus molossus
Size (snout to vent) : 5 cm The
genus Glyphoglossus comprises a group of 10 species (as of 2024) of mainly
medium-sized microhylids. These frogs have broad, flattened bodies and heads,
small eyes and a blunt snout. They occur in southern China and mainland and
insular Southeast Asia, particularly Borneo.
Glyphoglossus
molossus (Balloon Frog, Blunt-headed Burrowing Frog) is widespread in
central and southern Indochina, occurring in many lowland locales below 600
metres elevation in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
It naturally occurs in dry dipterocarp forest and deciduous forest. It
typically lies hidden beneath loose sandy soil, amongst leaf litter or
beneath rotting logs, but it will emerge during rainstorms to congregate at seasonal pools
to breed, sometimes in large numbers. The fertilised eggs float on the surface of such
pools, and the tadpoles are bottom dwelling.
In some parts of its native range it is sold in wet markets for human consumption,
particularly in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. There have been attempts to farm
the species, and thus localised feral populations may occur.
Figs 1 to 3: Example from Siem Reap, Cambodia,
found beneath a log in secondary forest. Its body is inflated,
particularly in figures 2 and 3. All photos thanks to Derek Clark.
References :
IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. 2021. Glyphoglossus molossus. The IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species 2021: e.T57820A117297620.
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