''Amolops spinapectoralis'' is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

in the family Ranidae, the "true frogs". It is at present only known from a few locations in central

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

—that is, it is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to Vietnam—but it is likely to be found more widely in the Vietnamese Central Highlands as well as in the adjacent southeastern Laos and northeastern Cambodia. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''spinapectoralis'' is derived from Latin ''spina'' for "thorn" and ''pectoralis'' for "of the breast" and refers to the pectoral spines in adult males. Common name spinyback torrent frog has been coined for it.

Description

Adult females measure and adult males in snout–vent length, although only males larger than SVL had

nuptial pad A nuptial pad (also known as thumb pad, or nuptial excrescence) is a secondary sex characteristic present on some mature male frogs and salamanders. Triggered by androgen hormones, this breeding gland (a type of mucous gland) appears as a spiked ...

s in addition to

vocal sac The vocal sac is the flexible membrane of skin possessed by most male frogs and toads. The purpose of the vocal sac is usually as an amplification of their mating or advertisement call. The presence or development of the vocal sac is one way o ...

s. The overall appearance is stocky. The snout is obtusely pointed or rounded in dorsal view and rounded in profile. The tympanum is visible. The fingers are without webbing but bear truncate discs. The toes are fully webbed and have discs that are smaller than finger discs. Skin is dorsally granular, tuberculate on the sides, and smooth ventrally. The dorsum and head have large black spots surrounded by olive brown network. The iris is olive brown with fine black network. Males have conspicuous and bowed prepollex, nuptial pads consisting of about 100 white, conical spines, and an oval group of similar spines on each side of chest, as referred to in the specific name.

Habitat and conservation

''Amolops spinapectoralis'' live in montane evergreen forests at elevations of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

and are associated with wet, vertical rock faces adjacent to waterfalls. Its natural history is poorly known but it is likely restricted to areas near cascades and swiftly flowing streams, as with other ''Amolops''. Reproduction probably occurs in the same streams. This species can be very abundant locally. However, it is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and degradation caused by expanding agriculture; large areas of forest are being converted to cash crop plantations such as rubber, coffee, and tea. It is also harvested for local consumption, but it is not known whether this is a considerable threat. The species occurs in the Kon Ka Kinh National Park and

Ngọc Linh Ngọc Linh (a Sino-Vietnamese name meaning "Jade Mountain") is a mountain of the Annamite Range in Vietnam. It straddles the two provinces of Quảng Nam and Kon Tum. It is considered "the roof of Southern Vietnam". ''Panax vietnamensis'' ( v ...

Nature Reserve.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2234648 spinapectoralis Frogs of Asia Amphibians of Vietnam Endemic fauna of Vietnam Amphibians described in 1999 Taxa named by Ilya Darevsky Taxa named by Robert F. Inger Taxa named by Nikolai Loutseranovitch Orlov Taxonomy articles created by Polbot