Thai National Parks

Species of Thailand

Burmese bug-eyed frog

Theloderma phrynoderma

Christoph Gustav Ernst Ahl, 1927

Theloderma phrynoderma is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to Myanmar and known from two widely separated localities: Thao, its type locality in the Karen Hills in south-central Myanmar where it was collected by Leonardo Fea in 1888, and the Tanintharyi Nature Reserve in southern Myanmar near the Thai border where it was collected in 2009–2010. Common name Burmese bug-eyed frog has been coined for it.

Description

The holotype, an adult female, measures 45 mm in snout–vent length, whereas three adult males all measure about 41 mm. The head is flat and triangular, shorter than it is wide. The tympanum is distinct and round. The fingers are long, with tips expanded into discs, and partially webbed (basal webbing between fingers I–II, increasing to nearly half-webbed between fingers III–IV). The toes are fully webbed and have discs that are slightly smaller than the finger discs. Dorsal skin is covered with calcified, white-tipped asperities, forming cluster especially near the tympana and along the dorsolateral region. Skin is cream colored and has brown blotches in the mid-dorsum. There is a dark brown bar between the eyes and a dark brown chevron between the shoulders. The flanks have cream-brown marbled pattern continuing onto the dorsum.

Habitat and conservation

Theloderma phrynoderma occurs in both lowland and montane wet evergreen forest as well as evergreen mixed deciduous and bamboo forest at elevations of 59 – 2400 m above sea level. Reproductive behaviour is unknown, but presumably this species deposits its eggs in small bodies of standing water, such as water-filled tree holes or rock depressions.

This species is known from few specimens, but it its not clear whether it is genuinely rare or simply difficult to detect. In general, its distribution area suffers from ongoing forest loss. The recently collected specimens are from a protected area (Tanintharyi Nature Reserve).

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Scientific classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Carnivora
Family
Rhacophoridae
Genus
Theloderma
Species
Theloderma phrynoderma

Synonyms

  • Rhacophorus phrynoderma, Christoph Gustav Ernst Ahl (1927)
  • Phrynoderma asperum, George Albert Boulenger (1893)

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN3.1)

Least Concern (IUCN3.1)

Photos

No photo for this species yet

Range Map

Distribution map of Burmese bug-eyed frog, Theloderma phrynoderma in Thailand
  • Kathu District, Phuket
  • Khao Sok National Park
  • Mueang Krabi District, Krabi
  • Suan Phueng District, Ratchaburi
Range map of Theloderma phrynoderma in Thailand