
Fig 1

Fig 2
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Family : BUFONIDAE
Species : Pelophryne ingeri
(formerly part of Pelophryne signata)
Size (snout to vent) : 2.5 cm
Inger's Dwarf Toadlet
(formerly part of St. Andrew's Cross Toadlet) is a diminutive species of toad which
appears to be largely confined to lowland primary forest.
Fully grown adults of the species measure just 25 mm snout-to-vent, and most
specimens are considerably smaller than this measuring around 15 mm.
Typically this small toad is encountered sitting in the middle of broad
leaves on low shrubs at around 1.0 to 1.5 metres from the ground.
The eggs are laid in 'phytothelms' which, for this species, are small
accumulations of water in the crooks of trees. The tadpoles remain in such
water bodies until they have metamorphosed into tiny, young toads.
Leong & Teo (2009) described an example of tadpoles being found in a
phytothelm at Bukit Timah, Singapore.
The dorsal surface is mottled light and dark brown, with
numerous spots and tubercles of orange-red and yellow. The area below the
eye, the throat and the underside are pale yellow with scattered black
spots.
The head is relatively large in comparison with the body, and the snout is
short and blunt. The forelimbs and hindlimbs are slender, and there is
minimal webbing between the fingers and toes.
This species occurs in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and parts of
Sumatra. Populations from these areas were formerly treated as part of
Pelophryne signata (Matsui, 2019).
Figs 1 and 2: Specimen of around 15 mm snout-to-vent
length
found resting on a leaf around 1.5 metres above the forest floor.
Found in lowland, primary forest at Bukit Timah, Singapore.
References :
Leong, T. M. & S. C. Teo, (2009).
Endotrophic tadpoles of the Saint Andrew’s Cross toadlet,
Pelophryne signata (Amphibia: Anura:
Bufonidae) in Singapore. Nature in Singapore, 2:
21–25.
Matsui, M. (2019). A New Species of Pelophryne from Malay Peninsula
(Anura, Bufonidae), Current Herpetology 38(2), 128-139.
Thanks to Noel Thomas for spotting the tiny,
elusive toad in these images.
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