Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 3
Fig 4
Fig 5
Fig 6
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Family : RANIDAE
Species : Amolops australis
Size (snout to vent) :
Female 4.7 cm, Male 3.1 cm
Torrent Frogs, or Cascade
Frogs, are adapted to life amongst the torrents, rapids and waterfalls
which cascade out of Southeast Asia's hilly or montane rainforests.
The Southern Torrent Frog Amolops australis, can
typically be
found clinging to boulders just above the stream level, however if disturbed
these frogs do not hesitate to leap into the fiercest flowing water, only to
emerge moments later clinging to another rock downstream. The species
appears to be both diurnal and nocturnal: it can be seen easily by day at
Sungai Bantang, Johor, Peninsular Malaysia.
The tadpoles of this and other Amolops species have a
modified lower lip which acts as a sucker allowing them to cling to rocks
in the swiftest of stream currents. (See example of the tadpole of the
closely-related Tuberculated Torrent
Frog Amolops gerutu).
The Amolops genus ranges
throughout Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java and
Borneo.
As of 2018, Amolops gerutu is only known from the southern state of
Johor, Peninsular Malaysia including localities such as Endau-Rompin and
Sungai Bantang where lowland streams are sourced from montane forests. The
species was once considered to be part of the
Amolops larutensis species complex
(Chan, K. O. et al, 2018).
Figs 1 to 4 : Examples from Sungai Bantang, Johor, Peninsular Malaysia:
all these specimens were found by day. Note the absence of obvious
patterning on the rear part of the thigh in Figure 1: this is diagnostic
for the species.
Fig 5 : Fast-flowing rocky stream habitat at Sungai Bantang, Johor,
Peninsular Malaysia.
Fig 6 : Example from lowland stream at Endau-Rompin National Park,
Johor, Peninsular Malaysia.
References :
Chan, K. O., Abraham, R. K., Grismer, J. L., & Grismer, L. (2018).
Elevational size variation and two new species of torrent frogs from
Peninsular Malaysia (Anura: Ranidae: Amolops Cope). Zootaxa, 4434(2),
250-264.
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