''Meristogenys phaeomerus'' 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 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 ...

and known from central

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 ...

) and adjacent

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 ...

). 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 ...

''phaeomerus'' is derived from the Greek ''phaios'' for "dusky" and ''meros'' for "thigh", in reference to the appearance of the rear of the thigh. Common names Kapit Borneo frog and Kapit torrent frog have been coined for it.

Description

Males measure and females in snout–vent length. The overall appearance is moderately slender. The snout is obtusely pointed. The tympanum is distinct. The fingers and the toes bear discs with circummarginal grooves. The toes are fully webbed. The dorsum is chocolate brown with small dark spots on the trunk. The upper lip is light brown. The

lore Lore may refer to: * Folklore, acquired knowledge or traditional beliefs * Oral lore or oral tradition, orally conveyed cultural knowledge and traditions Places * Loré, former French commune * Loré (East Timor), a city and subdistrict in Lau ...

bears an indistinct dark streak under the canthus. A blackish brown band runs from behind the eye to the inguinal area. The rear of the thigh is dark brown with small light spots. The

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 have a maximum head–body length of about .

Habitat and conservation

''Meristogenys phaeomerus'' occurs in hilly lowland rainforests at elevations below . Breeding takes place along small, clear, rocky streams. The

s adhere to the rocks, feeding on

lithophytic Lithophytes are plants that grow in or on rocks. They can be classified as either epilithic (or epipetric) or endolithic; epilithic lithophytes grow on the surfaces of rocks, while endolithic lithophytes grow in the crevices of rocks (and are als ...

algae. This species is locally abundant, but it does not appear to adapt to modified habitats and is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

caused by clear-cutting. It is present in several protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2243928 Phaeomerus Endemic fauna of Borneo Amphibians of Indonesia Amphibians of Malaysia Amphibians described in 1983 Taxa named by Robert F. Inger Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians of Borneo