''Rhacophorus baliogaster'', also known as the belly-spotted frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is found in the Central Highlands of Vietnam and the

Annamite Mountains The Annamite Range or the Annamese Mountains (french: Chaîne annamitique; lo, ພູ ຫລວງ ''Phou Luang''; vi, Dãy (núi) Trường Sơn) is a major mountain range of eastern Indochina, extending approximately through Laos, Vietnam, ...

of adjacent

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

. Its range probably extends into eastern Cambodia where suitable habitat should be present. 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 ...

''baliogaster'' is derived from the Greek words ''balios'' and ', meaning "spotted or dappled belly".

Description

Adult males measure about and adult females in

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the most c ...

. The snout is obtusely pointed. The tympanum is distinct. The fingers have well-developed discs and basal webbing. The toe discs are smaller than those of fingers; the toes have extensive webbing. The dorsum is dark brown above, usually with some blackish spots running as a broken streak from the should to the groin. The flanks are lighter brown. The venter is white with conspicuous black spots.

Habitat and conservation

''Rhacophorus baliogaster'' occurs in wet 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 ...

. Individuals have been observed perched on grassy vegetation on the banks of forest streams, while tadpoles have been recorded from a swampy forest pond. This species is not uncommon in parts of its range. It is threatened by habitat loss and degradation caused by expanding agriculture. It has been recorded in the Xe Sap National Biodiversity Conservation Area in

and Bidoup Núi Bà National Park in Vietnam, and its range overlaps with some other protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3753498 baliogaster Frogs of Asia Amphibians of Laos Amphibians 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