''Megophrys parallela'' is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

in the family

Megophryidae Megophryidae, commonly known as goose frogs, is a large family of frogs native to the warm southeast of Asia, from the Himalayan foothills eastwards, south to Indonesia and the Greater Sunda Islands in Maritime Southeast Asia, and extending to t ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

and known from a number of localities on mountains along the island's western coast where it is expected to have a wide distribution.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females, based on a single specimen, 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 mos ...

, without the rostral appendage. The habitus is stocky and robust. The head is wider than the body. The snout is short but with a pointed tip. The

canthus rostralis In snakes and amphibians, the canthus, canthal ridge or ''canthus rostralis''Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. . is the angle between the flat crown of the head and the ...

is sharp. The tympanum is small and posteriorly obscured by skin;; the supratympanic fold is sharply angular. The upper eyelid has a short and several low, conical tubercles. The fingers and the toes have rounded but not enlarged tips; the toes have basal webbing. The dorsolateral folds are parallel (hence the

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''parallela''). Preserved specimens are dorsally dark gray to brown with a number of dark markings, including a backward-pointing triangular interorbital marking. The abdomen is cream with varying amounts of brown mottling.

Habitat and conservation

''Megophrys parallela'' occurs in montane tropical rainforests at elevations of

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

. It has been found in both primary and secondary forest, indicating a degree of tolerance to habitat degradation. Specimens have found on dead leaves, on a small log on the bank of a small stream, and in cracks of rocks. Reproduction presumably involves stream-living

tadpole A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the Larva, larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully Aquatic animal, aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial animal, ...

s. ''Megophrys parallela'' does not appear to be common, although this might reflect its quiet call and cryptic habits. It is probably threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

and degradation caused by logging and deforestation. However, it does occur in a number of protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2240436 parallela Frogs of Asia Amphibians of Indonesia Endemic fauna of Sumatra Amphibians described in 2005 Taxa named by Robert F. Inger Taxonomy articles created by Polbot