''Chalcorana raniceps'', also known as the copper-cheeked frog, white-lipped frog, or Peters' Malaysian frog, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of " true frog" in the family Ranidae. 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 ...

, including

Brunei Darussalam Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by the ...

Kalimantan Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo. In 2019, ...

(

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

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...

(

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 ...

), although it is likely to occur more widely. Previously mixed with ''

Chalcorana chalconota ''Chalcorana chalconota'' is a species of "true frog", family Ranidae. It is endemic to Indonesia and occurs in southern Sumatra, Java, Bali, and a few smaller islands. Populations previously assigned to this species now belong to a number of oth ...

'' (treated as a

junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

or a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

) and believed to have much wider distribution, its range was delimited to Borneo in the revision of "''Rana chalconota''" complex by Robert Inger and colleagues in 2009.

Description

''Chalcorana raniceps'' are relatively small frogs: adult males measure and females in snout–vent length. Colouration is mostly green, sometimes with brown back. The snout is long and pointed. Finger and toe tips have adhesive disks. The thighs may be reddish undersides. It resembles '' Chalcorana megalonesa'' but is much smaller.

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 ...

s are conspicuous with dark markings and red gills on light brown to yellow background; presumably, they are poisonous.

Habitat

''Chalcorana raniceps'' inhabits a broad range of lowland primary and secondary rainforest habitats. It breeds in ponds, intermittent streams, and quiet side pools of streams. Males call in small groups from twigs and vegetation 0.5–1.5 m above the ground.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4667644 raniceps Endemic fauna of Borneo Amphibians of Brunei Amphibians of Indonesia Amphibians of Malaysia Amphibians described in 1871 Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters Amphibians of Borneo