''Platymantis isarog'', sometimes known as the Isarog forest frog, is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

in the family

Ceratobatrachidae The Ceratobatrachidae are a family of frogs found in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, the Philippines, Palau, Fiji, New Guinea, and the Admiralty, Bismarck, and Solomon Islands. Taxonomy Ceratobatrachidae was formerly treated as a subfamily (i.e ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to southeastern

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, where it is known from two volcanos,

Mount Isarog Mount Isarog is an active stratovolcano located in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines, on the island of Luzon. The mountain has active fumaroles and hot springs. It has an elevation of above mean sea level. The broad isthmus between Lago ...

(its type locality) and

Mount Malinao Mount Malinao is a potentially active stratovolcano located in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. The volcano displays strong fumarolic activity which is harnessed for generating electricity. Located on its slope is Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant, ...

Description

Adult males measure and adult females in

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the most c ...

. The snout is broadly rounded. The tympanum is distinct. The fingers have no webbing whereas the toes are webbed. The hind limbs are moderately long. The dorsum has grayish to orange brown background color and is marked with varied darker spots and blotches. Some specimens have a pale vertebral line starting from the beginning on the snout. The hind limbs have dark transverse bars. There are yellowish, brown-ringed s in the groin, on the thighs, and frequently the lower legs. The venter has brown spots or reticulations (this species was originally named as ''P. reticulatus'' in reference to the latter).

Habitat and conservation

''Platymantis isarog'' is an

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the Animal locomotion, locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. Th ...

frog that occurs in mossy and montane rainforests at elevations of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. It deposits its eggs on leaves in shrub layer vegetation. The egg have direct development (i.e, there is no free-living larval stage). This species is common in mid- to upper-montane forests on Mount Isarog, and the population there appears to be stable; it is well-protected by the Mount Isarog National Park. There is geothermal power generation on the slopes of Mount Malinao, but its impact is limited. Thus, despite its limited distribution, this species is not considered threatened by the

IUCN SSC The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natura ...

Amphibian Specialist Group.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2276297 isarog Amphibians of the Philippines Endemic fauna of the Philippines Fauna of Luzon Amphibians described in 1997 Taxa named by Angel Chua Alcala Taxa named by Rafe M. Brown Taxa named by Walter Creighton Brown Taxa named by Darrel Frost Taxonomy articles created by Polbot