''Limnonectes palavanensis'' (common names: smooth guardian frog, Palawan wart 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 Dicroglossidae. It is found in the Palawan Island (the

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 ...

, its type locality) and in

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

(

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

). The species shows paternal care, a relatively rare trait in frogs.

Description

Male ''Limnonectes palavanensis'' grow to about and females to about in snout–vent length. There is a V-shaped ridge between the shoulders, and a sharp interorbital band that separates the anterior part of the head from differently colorer back. Juveniles have a medial vertebral stripe that in some populations persists in adults too. The

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...

is moderately flat (dorsoventrally compressed). The tail is twice the length of the body. The tail fin is low and ends in a pointed tip.

Reproduction

The male of this species guard the

s that hatch from the eggs laid on the ground. The male then carries the tadpoles on its back to water.

Habitat and conservation

Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are lower montane and lowland forests. The tadpoles develop in small rain pools and quiet sections of small, slow moving streams. The habitat of this species is mostly well protected, although it can potentially be impacted by habitat loss. It occurs in the

Crocker Range National Park Crocker Range National Park ( ms, Taman Negara Banjaran Crocker) was established in 1984, although the area had previously been under protection as a forest reserve. It covers the north-south Crocker Range, of 1200-1800 metre mountains in Sabah, ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2244240 palavanensis Amphibians of Borneo Fauna of Brunei Amphibians of Indonesia Amphibians of Malaysia Amphibians of the Philippines Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger Amphibians described in 1894 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot