Phylum Chordata Rank Species | Family Ranidae Scientific name Staurois latopalmatus Higher classification Staurois Order Frog | |
Similar Staurois, Frog, Amphibians, Staurois guttatus, Meristogenys | ||
The rock skipper or Sabah splash frog (Staurois latopalmatus) is a frog in the Ranidae family. It is endemic to northern and western Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia).
Contents
Description
Staurois latopalmatus is a medium-sized frog: males grow to a snout–vent length of about 50 mm (2.0 in) and females to 70 mm (2.8 in). It has strong legs and is an excellent jumper.
The original species description by George Albert Boulenger from 1887 is as follows:
Snout very short, broadly rounded, obliquely truncate at the end, with nearly vertical, concave lores; eyes large; interorbital space as broad as the upper eyelid; tympanum very small, not very distinct. Fingers short, dilated into enormous disks, the width of which equals three fourths the width of the eye; a broad web, extending nearly to the disks, between the two outer fingers, and a short one between the second and third; toes very broadly webbed, the web enclosing one half of the disks; latter about half the size of those of the fingers; subarticular tubercles oval, flat; no distinct metatarsal tubercle. Hind limb very long and strong; the femoro-tibial articulation reaches the shoulder; tibia as long as the distance between the tympanum and the vent. Skin finely granulate above, smooth inferiorly. Blackish above, with pale brown variegations on the back and whitish dots on the sides; limbs with lighter cross bands; hinder side of thighs blackish, speckled with whitish; lower surfaces whitish.
Habitat and conservation
Staurois latopalmatus is most common in primary lowland rainforests; it perches on vertical rock faces in or near rapids in clear, swift, rocky streams. Male frogs call during the night from boulders. This species can be locally very abundant and can also occur in disturbed areas close to primary forests. It is considered as being of "Least Concern" by the IUCN, although deforestation remains a threat.