''Kurixalus wangi'' is a species of

tree frog A tree frog (or treefrog) is any species of frog that spends a major portion of its lifespan in trees, known as an arboreal state. Several lineages of frogs among the Neobatrachia have given rise to treefrogs, although they are not closely relat ...

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 ...

. 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 ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

and occurs in the southernmost part of the island. Prior to its

description Description is the pattern of narrative development that aims to make vivid a place, object, character, or group. Description is one of four rhetorical modes (also known as ''modes of discourse''), along with exposition, argumentation, and narr ...

in 2016, it was confused with ''

Kurixalus eiffingeri ''Kurixalus eiffingeri'' (Eiffinger's Tree Frog) is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is found in Taiwan and on the Yaeyama Islands of Japan. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical o ...

''. 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 ...

''wangi'' honors Wang Ching-Shong, a pioneering herpetologist from Taiwan.

Taxonomy and systematics

''Kurixalus wangi'' was described in 2016. It resembles ''Kurixalus eiffingeri'' but displays some morphological differences and a different reproductive season. Furthermore, molecular data and male advertisement call differentiate it from ''Kurixalus eiffingeri'' and ''

Kurixalus berylliniris ''Kurixalus berylliniris'' is a species of tree frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to Taiwan and occurs in the eastern part of the island at moderate elevations. Prior to its description in 2016, it was confused with ''Kurixalus eiff ...

'', its

sister species In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

. Together these three species form a lineage that is clearly separate from '' Kurixalus idiootocus'', the fourth ''Kurixalus'' species in Taiwan.

Description

Adult males measure 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 overall appearance is slender with flat body. The head is wider than it is long. The snout is subovoid with pointed tip in dorsal view and acuminate and slightly protruding in profile. The

canthus rostralis In snakes and amphibians, the canthus, canthal ridge or ''canthus rostralis'',Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. . is the angle between the flat crown of the head and the ...

is distinct and rounded. The tympanum is distinct, less than half of the eye diameter, with its upper margin covered by the supratympanic fold. The limbs are moderately robust. The finger and toe tips are expanded into discs. The fingers have a trace of webbing and the toes are moderately webbed. Dorsal skin is shagreened, ventral skin is slightly granular. The dorsal coloration varies from light brown with distinctly dark markings (including a dark X-like marking) to almost uniformly light green. The

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants *Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional enti ...

is golden-yellow.

Distribution

This species occurs in southernmost Taiwan in

Pingtung County Pingtung County is a county located in southern Taiwan. It has a warm tropical monsoon climate and is known for its agriculture and tourism. Kenting National Park, Taiwan's oldest national park, is located in the county. The county seat is Pin ...

Habitat and conservation

''Kurixalus wangi'' occurs in the shrubs of secondary forests and lowland broad-leaved forests at elevations below . Eggs have been found in small pools in tree hollows and man-made structures (discarded plastic cups and plastic pipes), either above the water or submerged. The tadpoles are oophagous. , this species had not been included in the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q22348491 wangi Amphibians of Taiwan Endemic fauna of Taiwan Amphibians described in 2016