Ansonia spinulifer
Ansonia spinulifer, also known as spiny slender toad or Kina Balu stream toad, is a species of true toad in the family Bufonidae. It is found in Sarawak and Sabah, northern Borneo (Malaysia), and presumably also in Kalimantan on the Indonesian part of the island.[2]
Ansonia spinulifer | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Anura |
Family: | Bufonidae |
Genus: | Ansonia |
Species: | A. spinulifer |
Binomial name | |
Ansonia spinulifer (Mocquard, 1890) | |
Synonyms | |
Bufo spinulifer Mocquard, 1890 |
Description
Ansonia spinulifer males measure 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in) and females up to 45 mm (1.8 in) in snout–vent length.[3] Tympanum is visible.[4] Dorsum has big spinose warts and usually a light spot between the shoulders. The warts are large and have keratinized projections, hence the species name. Tadpoles have the typical sucker mouth of rheophilous Ansonia tadpoles.[3]
Habitat and conservation
Its natural habitats are lowland rainforests at elevations of 150–750 m (490–2,460 ft) asl. Adults range widely over the floor and herb stratum in areas of steep terrain, but breeding requires small, clear, rocky-bottomed streams.[1] Males call at night, sitting in low vegetation close to streams.[3] The tadpoles live in torrents; they cling to rocks and feed on lithophytes.[1]
Ansonia spinulifer is common in Sarawak,[3] but it seems not to adapt to habitat modification. It is threatened by habitat loss (deforestation and the associated siltation of streams; plantations).[1]
References
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. 2018. Ansonia spinulifer. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T54483A114916610. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T54483A114916610.en. Downloaded on 21 December 2018.
- Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Ansonia spinulifer (Mocquard, 1890)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- Haas, A.; Hertwig, S.T.; Das, I. (2014). "Ansonia spinulifer. Spiny Slender Toad". Frogs of Borneo. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- Matsui, Masafumi; Wichase Khonsue; Jarujin Nabhitabhata (2005). "A new Ansonia from the Isthmus of Kra, Thailand (Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae)" (PDF). Zoological Science. 22 (7): 809–814. doi:10.2108/zsj.22.809. hdl:2433/65038. PMID 16082171.