''Dryophytes suweonensis'', the Suweon treefrog or Suwon treefrog, 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

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 ...

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 Korean Peninsula probably from the

Imjin River The Imjin River ( in South Korea) or Rimjin River ( in North Korea) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea. The river i ...

to the Mangyeong River, south of Iksan. Its distribution and population have been assessed to be below 800 individuals and the status of the species has been updated as Endangered by the

IUCN 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 natural habitat of the species has been generally transformed into rice fields and 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 ...

. The population size of the species has very strongl
declined in population size
similarly to the sister species '' Dryophytes immaculatus'' and '' Dryophytes flaviventris''. The Suweon tree frog and the

Japanese tree frog ''Hyla japonica'', commonly known as the Japanese tree frog, is a species of anuran native to Japan, China, and Korea. ''H. japonica'' is unique in its ability to withstand extreme cold, with some individuals showing cold resistance at temperature ...

, which is also found in the same region, are the only two hylid species found on the

Korean Peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. Factors distinguishing them include the frequency of the call, calling behavior, webbing between the toes and the angle of the line between eyes and nostrils. The type locality for the Suweon tree frog is a

rice paddy A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre-Au ...

near the Office of Rural Development in

Suwon Suwon (, ) is the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province which surrounds Seoul, the national capital. Suwon lies about south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety". With a populati ...

. It has a lifestyle similar to the Japanese tree frog, breeding in rice paddies. The species is not known to breed at any natural site, and microhabitat segregation differentiate them from the Japanese tree frog. The species is evolutionary significant due to its unusual ZW karyotype. The Suweon tree frog is listed as an "Endangered category I species" in Korea on basis of its limited distribution range and small population size. Besides, it is known to display high prevalence of Chytrid Fungus. However, this frog has also been listed as an

invasive species in the United States Invasive species are a significant threat to many native habitats and species of the United States and a significant cost to agriculture, forestry, and recreation. The term "invasive species" can refer to introduced/naturalized species, feral sp ...

."Amphibians - Frogs/Toads"
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved 22 August 2013.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3060896 Amphibians described in 1980 Frogs of Asia Amphibians of Korea suweonensis Gyeonggi Province Endemic fauna of Korea

See also

References