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Family : BUFONIDAE
Species : Ansonia jeetsukumarani
Size (snout to vent) :
Females 2.5 cm, males 2.0 cm
Sukumaran's Slender Toad Ansonia jeetsukumarani inhabits fast-flowing streams in
closed canopy, montane
forest.
Toads of the genus Ansonia are considered somewhat elusive and hard to locate.
This species exhibits the typical external characteristics of the
torrent-dwelling genus Ansonia i.e. an elongate body, flattened dorsally and adorned with numerous tubercles, long slender
hindlimbs, and extremely slender forelimbs. There is minimal webbing between
the toes.
This is one of the smallest of the 27 known species of Ansonia : Wood
et al (2008) quote a maximum snout-vent length (SVL) of 25.3 mm (female) and
19.9 mm (male). The largest species of the genus, Ansonia longidigita,
reaches up to 70 mm SVL.
The example shown here, from Fraser's Hill, Peninsular Malaysia, was found
perched on streamside vegetation in sub-montane, primary forest at an
elevation of around 1000 metres. The colouration of this specimen appears
typical for the species, comprising a dark brown body, and limbs coloured
and vaguely barred with dark brown and orange. There is an orange spot on
the dorsum between the forelimbs ('interscapular spot').
Sukumaran's Slender Toad is currently only known from Fraser's Hill, Pahang,
Peninsular Malaysia.
Figs 1 and 2 : Specimen from Fraser's Hill, Peninsular Malaysia.
Fig 2 : Typical sub-montane forest stream at Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Peninsular
Malaysia.
Reference :
Wood, Perry L., Jr., L. Lee Grismer, Norhayati Ahmad and Juliana Senawi.
2008. Two new species of torrent-dwelling toads Ansonia Stoliczka, 1870
(Anura: Bufonidae) from Peninsular Malaysia. Herpetologica. 64 (3):
321-340
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