Frogs of Malaysia

(3 May 2007)

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Frogs of Malaysia

Frogs or Toads, are collectively known as the Amphibians. Amphibians are animals that spend part of their lives in water and part of their lives on land. What makes an amphibian unusual among the other vertebrates is its skin, which acts not only as a protective layer but also as a respiratory organ. The frogs' or toads' distinctive features include a short, often stocky body, no tail, long hind legs and short front ones, large bulging eyes and a very wide mouth.

Another distinctive characteristic of frogs or toads is their complex life cycle. With a few exceptions, frogs or toads begin life as aquatic larvae, or tadpoles, and undergo a complicated series of changes called metamorphosis, as they assume the form of a frog or toad. Frogs or toads depend on water, not just for breeding, but also for basic survival. Malaysia is among the top 20 countries with the most amphibian species including frogs and toads. The existence of frogs and toads are beneficial to mankind as they consume insects and thus provide assistance in controlling the population of pests.

Horned Toad (Megophrys nasuta)

Megophrys nasuta have specific features that are different from other types of frogs. The "horn" is a very wide, pointed, with triangular projection from the edge of the eyelid. The hind legs are shorter than the front legs and normally males are often substantially smaller than females. The color is light clay to reddish brown, with one or two dark spots on the back. Using its leaf-like appearance for camouflage, Megophrys nasuta is virtually undetectable in the leaf litter of the forest unless it moves. This animal is perfectly designed to fit with its surroundings.

This species live in flat to steep rain forest with thick bamboos, where the area is damp and cool and is commonly found throughout Borneo, Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia.

Spotted Tree Frog (Nyctixalus pictus)

This type of frog is small with relatively long snout and long hind limbs. The skin on the back, head and the upper surface of the limbs is rough, with many small spiny bumps. The body is reddish cinnamon brown or pale red, with white spots scattered on its back, along the edge of the snout and even on the upper eyelid. The upper half of the iris of the eye is white while the lower half is brown. This is one of the most distinctly colored and cannot be mistaken for any other species. The size of this species are almost the same except for the females which are slightly larger than the males.

Nyctixalus pictus lives in primary and old secondary forest and can be found most often in hilly terrain near water at all parts of Borneo except Brunei, southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra and Philippines.

Brown Tree Toad (Pedostibes hosii)

Brown Tree Toad or its scientific name, Pedostibes hosii has a large, stout body with a thick bony ridge behind the eye and connected to a small paratoid gland. The fingers are long and distinctly shaped, probably an adaptation to climbing. The top of the head is smooth and the back has a few scattered warts. The females' size is bigger than males. The color for the male are light brown while the females are black or dark purple with a pattern of yellow spots. It can be found mostly in undisturbed forests, but may be found on old secondary habitants. The species can be found in all parts of Borneo and also in Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand.

Lesser Swamp Frog (Rana laterimaculata)

The size of frog from ranidae family is small and medium. It has a pointed head and snout projecting slightly in profile. The fingers are long and the tips are slightly dilated. It also has small, low and rounded glandular warts on the surface of the skin and scattered oval glands at the sides. Rana laterimaculata has a light line on the upper lip that continues from below the eye to below the eardrum. Its dorsal color can vary from medium reddish-brown to very dark brown and the underside is creamy colored. Swampy areas, primary and secondary forests are the natural habitats of this species and are easily found in West Malaysia, Singapore and the Borneo Islands.

Wallace's Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus)

Wallace's flying frog is a very large tree frog with an almost rounded snout and very large hands and feet. The fingers and toes are fully webbed. The color of the body is shiny green with lighter yellow on the lateral sides as well as on the toe pads and snout. The hind limbs are relatively larger than the front limbs and provided added trust upon jumping.

The males are slightly smaller than the females. This species is a resident of primary or logged forests at low elevation. It descends down from the forest canopy to breed at turbid pools of water. It is also found on low tree branches near rain puddles by the logging area after heavy rain. Wallace's flying frog can be found in Kalimantan, Sabah and Sarawak. The species can also be found in southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra.

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