Pointed-tongue floating frog

Occidozyga lima

SUBFAMILY

Occidozyginae

TAXONOMY

Rana lima Gravenhorst, 1829, Java, Indonesia.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Java frog.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

This small frog has a maximum size of 1.5 in (39 mm). The skin is very rough, and there is persistence of the lateral-line system in the adult. The dorsum is dark olive with dark spots and sometimes a mid-dorsal line; the rear parts of the thighs show two longitudinal dark lines enclosing a longitudinal white line. The tongue is pointed behind, and there are no vomerine teeth. The extremities of the digits are pointed, and webbing of the feet is complete. Males have nuptial pads and internal vocal sacs.

DISTRIBUTION

The frog occurs in southern China, Indochina, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

HABITAT

These frogs live in ponds, marshes, and paddy fields, where they seldom leave water.

BEHAVIOR

Little is known.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Little is known.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Males emit calls composed of two short notes. Amplexus is axillar. The eggs are small and pigmented, and the tadpole is elongated (up to 1.3 in, or 33 mm), with a pointed snout and tail tip and a high crest on the anterior tail fin. The tadpole's mouth is small, without papillae, tooth rows, or upper jaw sheath but with a horseshoe-shaped lower jaw sheath.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not listed by IUCN.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known.