Beautiful torrent frog

Amolops formosus

SUBFAMILY

Raninae, tribe Amolopini

TAXONOMY

Polypedates formosus Günther, 1876, Khasi Hills, Assam, India.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Assam sucker frog.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

This is a medium-size species, with a snout-vent length up to 3.3 in (85 mm). The frogs have a bright green, greenish, or olive dorsum covered with spots. The dorsal and ventral skins are smooth; dorsolateral folds are absent. The hind limbs are very long, with complete webbing. The digital tips bear large discs with ventrolateral grooves. Adult males have vocal sacs and velvety nuptial pads on the first finger.

DISTRIBUTION

The species' range is Bhutan, northern India, and Nepal.

HABITAT

The frogs live along torrents from 5,640 ft (1,720 m) to 8,700 ft (2,650 m) in forested and nonforested areas.

BEHAVIOR

Little is known.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Little is known.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Males call from the banks or rocks along or in torrents. Eggs, which are ivory white, are stuck by their jelly under rocks or stones in the rapid part of the torrent. Tadpoles are gastromyzophorous, that is, they have a large sucker that covers the anterior part of the belly and numerous tooth rows (6–7/3).

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not listed by IUCN.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known.