''Polypedates megacephalus'', the Hong Kong whipping frog or spot-legged tree 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 ...

in the shrub frog

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

(Rhacophoridae). In its native range, it is also called "

brown tree frog The southern brown tree frog (''Litoria ewingii''), also known as the brown tree frog, whistling tree frog, or Ewing's tree frog, is a species of tree frog native to Australia: most of southern Victoria, eastern South Australia, southern New S ...

", but this name is otherwise applied to a species of the true tree frog family (

Hylidae Hylidae is a wide-ranging family of frogs commonly referred to as "tree frogs and their allies". However, the hylids include a diversity of frog species, many of which do not live in trees, but are terrestrial or semiaquatic. Taxonomy and s ...

Distribution and ecology

This species is native in central, southern and southwestern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

(including

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

and

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

) and Indo-China peninsula. It is closely related to ''

Polypedates leucomystax ''Polypedates'' is a genus of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae, the shrub frogs and Paleotropic tree frogs. They belong to subfamily Rhacophorinae. Members of this genus are collectively known as whipping frogs. They occur in eastern and south ...

'' and always included in ''P. leucomystex'' species complex, along with '' P. mutus'' and ''P''. ''braueri''. Previously, ''P. megacephalus'' was thought to distribute above the Red River of Vietnam and in

Northeast India , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

, while ''P. leucomystex'' was generally found south of the Red River and in western

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

. However, recent genetic studies revealed that the natural barriers between these species are the

Isthmus of Kra The Kra Isthmus ( th, คอคอดกระ, ) in Thailand is the narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula. The western part of the isthmus belongs to Ranong Province and the eastern part to Chumphon Province, both in Southern Thailand. The ...

and the

Tenasserim Range The Tenasserim Hills or Tenasserim Range ( my, တနင်္သာရီ တောင်တန်း, ; th, ทิวเขาตะนาวศรี, , ; ms, Banjaran Tanah Seri/Banjaran Tenang Sari) is the geographical name of a r ...

, where ''P. megacephalus'' can be found above the isthmus and east of the range. This frog is listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution in Asia and its tolerance of a broad range of habitats. It also because of its presumed large population.

Images

Polypedates megacephalus 3.jpg, Polypedates megacephalus, Spot-legged tree frog -

Phu Kradueng National Park Phu Kradueng National Park ( th, อุทยานแห่งชาติภูกระดึง), in the Si Than sub-district of Amphoe Phu Kradueng, Loei Province, is one of the best known national parks of Thailand. It has a high point ...

Polypedates megacephalus (mating), Spot-legged tree frog - Khao Nang Phanthurat Forest Park (34388069214).jpg, Mating Anura sleeping on a wooden beam in Laos.jpg, Resting

References

Amphibians of China Fauna of Hong Kong Frogs of India Amphibians of Taiwan Amphibians described in 1861 {{Rhacophoridae-stub