''Feihyla inexpectata'' 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
Rhacophoridae
The Rhacophoridae are a family of frogs that occur in tropical sub-Saharan Africa, South India and Sri Lanka, Japan, northeastern India to eastern China and Taiwan, south through the Philippines and Greater Sundas, and Sulawesi. They are commonly ...
.
[ This recently (2014) described species]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 Malaysian Borneo and known from its type locality in the Maliau Basin Conservation Area, Sandakan Division, Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...
[ and from ]Danum Valley
Danum Valley Conservation Area is a 438 square kilometres tract of relatively undisturbed dipterocarp, lowland dipterocarp forest in Sabah, Malaysia. It has an extensive diversity of tropical flora and fauna, including such species as the ...
, also in Sabah.[ Common name Bornean opposite-fingered tree frog has been coined for it.]
Etymology
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 ...
''inexpectata'' is Latin and refers to the fact that finding a species of the genus ''Chiromantis'', as the species was originally assigned to, was considered unexpected in Borneo given that the genus was previously only known from continental South-East Asia.
Description
The type series
In biology, a type is a particular 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 anchor or centralizes the ...
consists of two adult males and a metamorphosing juvenile. The adult males measured in snout–vent length (SVL). The metamorph measured SVL and had a tiny tail stump.[
The head is wider than the body. The snout is truncated in the side view and sloping anteroventrally. The canthus rostralis is rounded. The eyes are large and protuberant. The tympanumis distinct and subcircular (not visible in the metamorph). The forelimbs are long and relatively robust. The fingers have expanded discs and are less than half-webbed (no webbing at all between the first two fingers). The hindlimbs are comparatively short (though still longer than the body). The toes bear expanded discs and are webbed. Skin is smooth except for some minute, blunt asperities in the back. The coloration is changeable, varying between whitish-yellow on body and pinkish on limbs to light brown. There are scattered, small dark-brown spots on the back. A dark lateral band runs from the tip of the snout over upper half of tympanum to about one-half way down the body and is bordered under by a narrower white stripe. The ventrum is semitransparent and immaculate creamy white.]
Habitat
The type series was collected at night when the frogs were perching on leaves of low trees (no higher than 1 metre) that extended above the surface of a shallow pool at an elevation 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 ...
. Neither tadpole
A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...
, egg masses, nor calling males were found, suggesting that breeding takes place at other times of the year than the time of observation, early March. Frog species sharing the same habitat included ''Rhacophorus borneensis
''Rhacophorus borneensis'' is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. This recently (2013) described species is endemic to Malaysian Borneo where it is known from its type locality in the Maliau Basin Conservation Area, Sandakan Division ...
'', ''Kurixalus appendiculatus
The frilled tree frog, rough-armed tree frog, or Southeast Asian tree frog (''Kurixalus appendiculatus'') is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae found in Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, ...
'', ''Polypedates macrotis
''Polypedates macrotis'', commonly known as the dark-eared treefrog, sometimes also Bongao tree frog, Bongao bubble-nest frog, Baram whipping frog, or brown-striped tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is found in the c ...
'', and ''Microhyla petrigena
''Nanohyla petrigena'' is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is found in northern and central Borneo (Brunei, southeastern Sabah and central Sarawak, Malaysia, and central Kalimantan, Indonesia) and in the Sulu Archipelago of the Ph ...
''.
Conservation
As of late 2017, the species has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q16440425
inexpectata
Endemic fauna of Borneo
Endemic fauna of Malaysia
Amphibians of Malaysia
Amphibians described in 2014
Amphibians of Borneo