''Rana longicrus'', also known as the Taipa frog or long-legged brown 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 ...

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 distributed to northern and central

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 ...

Description

''Rana longicrus'' is a slender-bodied frog with relatively long legs. Males measure and females in snout–vent length.

Reproduction

The breeding season in Aoti, northern Taiwan, is from November to March. The smallest mature male measured SVL and smallest gravid female SVL. Both sexes appear to reach this size by the end of their first year. Peak breeding occurred in December but is probably influenced by rain. Egg clutches of 600-2,000 eggs are laid in water. Metamorphosis occurs after about two months. However, survival to metamorphosis is low because of disturbance by human activities (plowing of ricefields) and by the desiccation.

Diet

''Rana longicrus'' feed primarily on arachnids and insect larvae and adults (often ants or beetles). In winter when they spend more time near water also crustaceans are eaten.

Habitat and conservation

''Rana longicrus'' occurs in

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

broad-leaf forests as well as cultivated fields below elevation. Breeding takes place in marshes, pools, and ponds. It 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 ...

, in particular due to infrastructure development, but also pollution. It is currently protected in the Yangmingshan National Park.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1038854 longicrus Amphibians of Taiwan Endemic fauna of Taiwan Amphibians described in 1898 Taxa named by Leonhard Stejneger Taxonomy articles created by Polbot