''Platymantis bayani'' 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

Ceratobatrachidae The Ceratobatrachidae are a family of frogs found in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, the Philippines, Palau, Fiji, New Guinea, and the Admiralty, Bismarck, and Solomon Islands. Taxonomy Ceratobatrachidae was formerly treated as a subfamily (i.e ...

. 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 ...

to the island of

Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is only known from its type locality, the Taft Forest Reserve in Taft,

Eastern Samar Eastern Samar (Waray-Waray: ''Sinirangan Samar''; tl, Silangang Samar), officially the Province of Eastern Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Borongan. Eastern Samar occupies ...

. 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 ...

''bayani'' is derived from the Tagalog word meaning "highly respected", "heroic", or "hero". The name honors , in recognition of his "numerous contributions to Philippine herpetology and … lifelong commitment to the study of biodiversity in the SW Pacific." Accordingly, common name Walter's limestone forest frog has been proposed for this species.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females in snout–vent length. The overall appearance is robust, and the head is broad. The tympanum is distinct. The fingers are slender, long, and bear greatly expanded terminal discs, as do the toes. The toes have some basal webbing. The dorsum and head are mottled light green, dark green, and black and bear low, salmon-colored tubercles. There is a distinct interorbital bar. The limbs have alternating dark brown and green transverse bars on their dorsal surfaces. The flanks have series of dark brown to black blotches and spots. 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 mottled golden-brown and dark brown, with a bright gold ciliary ring surrounding the pupil.

Habitat and conservation

''Platymantis bayani'' is known from primary- and secondary growth forest on

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

substrate at

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 ...

. Both males and females were observed perched on top of limestone rocks within large rock formations in the forest; they were well camouflaged against this background. This species has never been observed perching in trees or shrubs, as most closely related species do. Breeding is probably direct, with eggs presumably deposited in limestone crevices and small caves. ''Platymantis bayani'' was quite common at the type locality. It is possible that it has a broader distribution, but its range is probably restricted by the presence of relatively undisturbed limestone formations with forest cover. It is primarily threatened by limestone quarrying and mining for the cement industry. Forest clearing for shifting agriculture, wood collection for firewood and charcoal production, and commercial illegal logging constitute additional threats.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3392033 bayani Amphibians of the Philippines Endemic fauna of the Philippines Fauna of Samar Amphibians described in 2009 Taxa named by Angel Chua Alcala Taxa named by Rafe M. Brown Taxa named by Arvin Cantor Diesmos Taxa named by Cameron D. Siler