''Rhacophorus robertingeri'' 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 ...

s 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 ...

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 ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. First found in the

Annamite Mountains The Annamite Range or the Annamese Mountains (french: Chaîne annamitique; lo, ພູ ຫລວງ ''Phou Luang''; vi, Dãy (núi) Trường Sơn) is a major mountain range of eastern Indochina, extending approximately through Laos, Vietnam, ...

of Vietnam, it is now known from mountain areas between

Hà Giang Hà Giang () is a city located on the banks of the Lô River in the Northeast region of Vietnam. It is the capital of Hà Giang Province. The city has an area of 135.33 km2 and a population of 55 559 inhabitants. The population is compose ...

or Nghệ An Province in the north and Gia Lai or Bình Thuận Province in the south, depending on the source. This species can be differentiated from its congeners based on the pointed projection at the tibiotarsal articulation, as well as coloration.

Etymology

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 ...

''robertingeri'' honors

Robert F. Inger Robert Frederick Inger (September 10, 1920 – April 12, 2019) was an American herpetologist. During his lifetime, he wrote numerous books and publications about herpetology. He was also the curator for amphibians and reptiles at the Field Mus ...

, famous American zoologist from the

Field Museum of Natural History The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational ...

Description

Adult males measure and females in

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the most c ...

. The habitus is stocky with relatively large and broad head. The snout is sharply pointed. The tympanum is distinct. The fingers have large discs; those of the toes are smaller. Basal webbing is present. Dorsal skin is generally smooth. The dorsum has variable color and patterning. The coloration is dominated by yellow-and red-brown tones. There are orange, cream, white and dark brown spots. The ventrum is can be light gray, cream, or ivory color. It may be immaculate or have pronounced.

Habitat and conservation

''Rhacophorus robertingeri'' inhabits dense evergreen forests at elevations 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 ...

. It is associated with montane streams. Peak reproductive season is March–June and October–November. Males call diurnally but amplexus takes places only after dusk. The pair constructs a foam nest in leaves hanging near water. Upon hatching, 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 fall down and enter the stream. Habitat loss through deforestation is likely a threat to this species. It occurs in many protected areas: A Yun Pa Proposed Nature Reserve, Kon Cha Rang Nature Reserve, Kon Ka Kinh National Park, Ngoch Linh Nature Reserve, Ba Na-Nui Chua Nature Reserve, Nui Ong Nature Reserve, and Bạch Mã National Park.

Etymology

Description

Habitat and conservation

References

Further reading