''Amolops attiguus'', the similar Lao torrent frog, is a species of

true frog True frogs is the common name for the frog family (biology), family Ranidae. They have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica. The true frogs are p ...

found in eastern Bolikhamxay Province and Xieng Khouang Province,

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

Description

''Amolops attiguus'' is a small green frog with a mottled brown pattern covering most of the dorsal side (upper side). The dorsal side of the legs has dark bands. The ventral side (underside) is light with some dark spots and the ventral side of the legs is bluish-purple. Seven total specimens have been collected and examined, which is a relatively small sample size. Out of the five examined males, the SVL was , and of the two females, it was . This shows clear

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

in that the male is smaller than the female.

Distribution and ecology

''Amolops attiguus'' is native to Laos but has also been found in Northern

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

in the

Pù Mát National Park Pù Mát National Park (Vietnamese: ''Vườn quốc gia Pù Mát'') is a national park in Nghệ An Province, in Vietnam's North Central Coast region. It is part of the Western Nghệ An Biosphere Reserve. In the Thai language, Pù Mát means " ...

. Specimens have been collected at an elevation of . It can be found in or around clear streams.

Etymology

The common name, similar Lao torrent frog, refers to the similarity between it and the species it was originally designated to; the Lao torrent frog (''Amolops cremnobatus''). ''Amolops attiguus'' is native to Laos and therefore has a Lao-inspired name. Attigua means "adjacent" or "neighboring" in Lao and "attiguus" is a Latinized version of that. The reason behind the name is that it can be found in between two similar species; ''

Amolops tanfuilianae ''Amolops tanfuilianae'', or Fui Lian's Lao torrent frog, is a species of true frog found in Laos and Northern Vietnam. Description It is a relatively small brown frog with green mottling on the dorsal side. Ventrally, it has no patterning and ...

'' and ''

Amolops kottelati ''Amolops kottelati'', or Kottelat's Lao torrent frog, is a species of true frog that is found in Laos. Description The species is identified most easily by the tadpole. However, it is a somewhat brown frog with green mottling. No pictures of ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q122942149 attiguus Amphibians of Laos Amphibians described in 2023