''Platymantis bayani'' 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

Ceratobatrachidae The Ceratobatrachidae are a family of frogs found in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, the Philippines, Palau, Fiji, New Guinea, and the Admiralty Islands, Admiralty, Bismarck Islands, Bismarck, and Solomon Islands (archipelago), Solomon Islands. Tax ...

. 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 ...

to the island of

Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. It is only known from its type locality, the Taft Forest Reserve in Taft,

Eastern Samar Eastern Samar ( Waray-Waray: ''Sinirangan Samar''; ), officially the Province of Eastern Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Borongan, which is the most populous. Eastern Samar ...

. 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 ...

''bayani'' is derived from the

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...

word meaning "highly respected", "heroic", or "hero". The name honors , in recognition of his "numerous contributions to Philippine herpetology and … lifelong commitment to the study of biodiversity in the SW Pacific." Accordingly, common name Walter's limestone forest frog has been proposed for this species.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females in snout–vent length. The overall appearance is robust, and the head is broad. The tympanum is distinct. The fingers are slender, long, and bear greatly expanded terminal discs, as do the toes. The toes have some basal webbing. The dorsum and head are mottled light green, dark green, and black and bear low, salmon-colored tubercles. There is a distinct interorbital bar. The limbs have alternating dark brown and green transverse bars on their dorsal surfaces. The flanks have series of dark brown to black blotches and spots. The

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (given name), a feminine given name, and a list of peopl ...

is mottled golden-brown and dark brown, with a bright gold ciliary ring surrounding the pupil.

Habitat and conservation

''Platymantis bayani'' is known from primary- and secondary growth forest on

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

substrate at

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 ...

. Both males and females were observed perched on top of limestone rocks within large rock formations in the forest; they were well camouflaged against this background. This species has never been observed perching in trees or shrubs, as most closely related species do. Breeding is probably direct, with eggs presumably deposited in limestone crevices and small caves. ''Platymantis bayani'' was quite common at the type locality. It is possible that it has a broader distribution, but its range is probably restricted by the presence of relatively undisturbed limestone formations with forest cover. It is primarily threatened by limestone quarrying and mining for the cement industry. Forest clearing for shifting agriculture, wood collection for firewood and charcoal production, and commercial illegal logging constitute additional threats.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3392033 bayani Amphibians of the Philippines Endemic fauna of the Philippines Fauna of Samar Amphibians described in 2009 Taxa named by Angel Chua Alcala Taxa named by Rafe M. Brown Taxa named by Arvin Cantor Diesmos Taxa named by Cameron D. Siler