''Ansonia latidisca'', commonly called the Sambas stream toad or Bornean rainbow toad, is a small true toad rediscovered in 2011 after being unseen since 1924. 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 ...

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

(

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

). Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are

tropical moist lowland forest Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, discont ...

s and

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

s. 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 ...

Description

The three specimens known of ''A. latidasca'' are small, ranging in size from in length. They are also nocturnal. They have long spindly limbs and variegated dorsal skin "splattered in bright green, purple, and red." The colorful spots on the dorsum are not flat but "pebbly" and have been compared to warts. Amphibian expert Robin Moore told the

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

that such skin on a toad "usually indicates the presence of poison glands ... You probably don't want to put this in your mouth." Moore was the initiator of Conservation International's Search for Lost Frogs. Herpetologist Indraneil Das, leader of the 2011 team that rediscovered the toad, called its coloration "mosslike" and noted that it may be an adaptation for camouflage on the mossy tree bark of its habitat.

Conservation status and rediscovery

''Ansonia latidisca'' was listed by

Conservation International Conservation International (CI) is an American nonprofit environmental organization headquartered in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. CI's work focuses on science, policy and partnership with businesses, governments and communities. The organ ...

as one of the "world's top 10 most wanted frogs" in its ''Global Search for Lost Amphibians'' in 2010. It had not been seen since 1924. Until its recent rediscovery, the only depictions of the toad were drawings of specimens collected by explorers in the 1920s. The

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wiktionary:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to a ...

were collected by Johann Gottfried Hallier. In July 2011, scientists from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak led by Dr. Indraneil Das found and photographed three specimens in the high branches of a tree after months of night expeditions in the Gunung Penrissen range of Western Sarawak. According to Moore, the team organized its search based on what was known of similar species, searching at night along streams for a toad they thought might be found climbing trees. Dr. Das said these were "standard search techniques appropriate for amphibians in rainforest habitats," adding that they entailed "dangers and annoyances" that included heavy rainfall, leeches, and poachers. The scientists were concerned about giving public information about the toads' exact location, worried about poachers and the international pet trade.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1907423 latidisca Endemic fauna of Borneo Amphibians of Indonesia Amphibians of Malaysia Taxa named by Robert F. Inger Amphibians described in 1966 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians of Borneo Fauna of the Borneo lowland rain forests