''Rhacophorus borneensis'' 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

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 ...

. This recently (2013) described species 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 ...

Malaysian Borneo East Malaysia (), or the Borneo States, also known as Malaysian Borneo, is the part of Malaysia on and near the island of Borneo, the world's third-largest island. Near the coast of Sabah is a small archipelago called Labuan. East Malaysia li ...

where it is known from its type locality in the Maliau Basin Conservation Area,

Sandakan Division Sandakan Division ( ms, Bahagian Sandakan) is an administrative division of Sabah, Malaysia. It stretches diagonally from the northeastern coast of Sabah to the state's central region. With an area of 28,205 square kilometres, it occupies 38.3% o ...

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...

as well as from the

Batang Ai National Park Batang Ai National Park ( ms, Taman Negara Batang Ai) is a national park located in Sri Aman Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located in Lubok Antu, some 250 kilometers east of Kuching. The park covers an area of of extensive tropical rainfor ...

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 ...

. Prior to its description, it was included in ''

Rhacophorus reinwardtii ''Rhacophorus reinwardtii'' is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is variously known under the common names of black-webbed treefrog, green flying frog, Reinwardt's flying frog, or Reinwardt's treefrog. Before 2006, Rhacophorus re ...

''. It is said to be "one of the prettiest frogs of Borneo". Common name Borneo flying frog has been coined for it.

Description

The

type series In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

consists of an adult male and female in

amplexus Amplexus (Latin "embrace") is a type of mating behavior exhibited by some externally fertilizing species (chiefly amphibians and horseshoe crabs) in which a male grasps a female with his front legs as part of the mating process, and at the same ...

. The male measured in snout–vent length (SVL) and the female . Literature records for Bornean "''Rhacophorus reinwardtii''", likely representing this species, give a range for males and for females. The body is dorsoventrally compressed. The snout is rounded dorsally and sloping downwards in profile. The eyes are large and protuberant. The

canthus The canthus (pl. canthi, palpebral commissures) is either corner of the eye where the upper and lower eyelids meet. More specifically, the inner and outer canthi are, respectively, the medial and lateral ends/angles of the palpebral fissure. Th ...

is distinct and blunt. The tympanum is distinct and subcircular; the supra-tympanic fold is oblique. The fingers and toes have large discs and are broadly webbed. The dorsum is smooth and uniformly green, although some specimens may have dark spots. The lips are white. The lower parts are immaculate yellowish orange, with chin mottled with small, back spots. The webbing is dorsally black with fine blue streaks. The male advertisement call is a low chuckle, likened to a woodpecker.

Habitat

The type series, a pair in

, was collected at night when the frogs were perching on a tree branch that extended above the surface of a shallow pool at an elevation of

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 ...

. No

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 nor eggs were found. Frog species sharing the same habitat included '' Chiromantis inexpectatus'', '' Kurixalus appendiculatus'', ''

Polypedates macrotis ''Polypedates macrotis'', commonly known as the dark-eared treefrog, sometimes also Bongao tree frog, Bongao bubble-nest frog, Baram whipping frog, or brown-striped tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is found in the c ...

'', and '' Microhyla petrigena''. ''Chiromantis inexpectatus'' was described based on specimens from the same pool. Outside breeding season, ''Rhacophorus borneensis'' live high up in the canopy and are difficult to observe. The species is found in primary forest as well as in secondary or disturbed forest.

Conservation

As of late 2017, the species had not been assessed by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

. The type locality, Maliau Basin Conservation Area, is not easy accessible, whereas the other known locality is a protected area,

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q14568375 borneensis Endemic fauna of Borneo Endemic fauna of Malaysia Amphibians of Malaysia Amphibians described in 2013 Amphibians of Borneo