''Chaperina'' is a genus of

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

s in the family

Microhylidae The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread family of frogs. The 683 species are in 63 genera and 11 subfamilies, which is the largest number of genera of any frog family. Evolution A molecular phylo ...

. It is the only genus in the subfamily Chaperininae. It is also itself

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

, being represented by the single species, ''Chaperina fusca'', commonly known as the brown thorny frog, spiny-heeled froglet, and saffron-bellied frog. It is found on the Malay Peninsula, in

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 ea ...

and in the Philippines (

Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in t ...

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

, and

Jolo Jolo ( tsg, Sūg) is a volcanic island in the southwest Philippines and the primary island of the province of Sulu, on which the capital of the same name is situated. It is located in the Sulu Archipelago, between Borneo and Mindanao, and has ...

islands). It is abundant in Borneo but uncommon on the Malay Peninsula and patchily distributed in the Philippines.

Description

''Chaperina fusca'' are small frogs: males measure in snout–vent length and females . They are black above with minute white, light blue, or greenish spots. The skin is smooth with scattered tubercles; they have a sharp dermal projection on elbows and heel. These frogs are active after rainfall on forest floor and low vegetation; they are good climbers.

Habitat and conservation

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 primary lowland and montane rainforests as well as edge habitats; it has also been found in rural gardens. It breeds in small, temporary water bodies rich in decaying organic matter. Threats to this species include deforestation, habitat conversion to agriculture, and pollution.

References

External links

Sound recordings of ''Chaperina fusca'' at BioAcoustica
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q10745780, from2=Q729865, from3=Q28777047 Microhylidae Monotypic amphibian genera Amphibians described in 1892 Fauna of Brunei Amphibians of Indonesia Amphibians of Malaysia Amphibians of the Philippines Amphibians of Thailand Amphibians of Borneo Taxa named by François Mocquard Taxonomy articles created by Polbot