Black-webbed treefrog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Black-webbed treefrog |
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| Rhacophorus kio | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Rhacophoridae |
| Genus: | Rhacophorus |
| Species: |
R. kio
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| Binomial name | |
| Rhacophorus kio Ohler and Delorme, 2006
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The Rhacophorus kio, also known as the black-webbed treefrog, is a type of flying frog. It lives in the warm, wet rainforests of Southeast Asia. You can find it in countries like China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. This frog is amazing because it can glide through the air and has sticky toe pads. These features help it live high up in the trees.
For a long time, scientists thought R. kio was the same as another frog, R. reinwardtii. But a study in 2006 showed they are different species. Both frogs are sometimes called the black-webbed treefrog. R. kio is special because it builds a foamy nest for its eggs. It also wraps leaves around the eggs to protect them. The IUCN Red List says this frog is currently "Least Concern." This means it's not in immediate danger of disappearing. However, its home is shrinking due to deforestation for farms and other human activities.
Contents
What Does the Black-Webbed Treefrog Look Like?
The young Rhacophorus kio are called tadpoles. They are light olive green with a white belly. Their fins are mostly clear, with light gray edges near the tail. The tadpole's body is oval-shaped, widest near its gills. It has a rounded snout. When fully grown, a tadpole is about 43 to 52 millimeters long.
Adult R. kio frogs are bigger than their close relative, R. reinwardtii. They grow to be about 58 to 79 millimeters long. This size difference helps scientists tell them apart.
The top of the R. kio frog is grass green with darker green patches. Its lower sides are dark brown. The top of the frog has white spots, while its sides have yellow spots. The underside of the frog is yellow. Its thighs are grass green, turning orange-yellow at the back. A large, clear black spot is visible near its armpits. Both the toes and fingers of R. kio are webbed. They are an orange-yellow color. There is also a black spot between each toe and finger.
How is R. kio Different from R. reinwardtii?
Before 2006, scientists thought Rhacophorus kio and R. reinwardtii were the same frog. It was hard to find R. kio when it wasn't breeding. Also, its breeding groups were small. Because of this, there weren't many R. kio in museum collections. This lack of information led to the two species being confused.
R. kio is generally larger than R. reinwardtii. It has a longer body from its snout to its bottom. However, R. kio has a narrower and shorter head. Its toe pads are also smaller. A key difference is their webbing. The lines on R. kios webbing are orange and yellow. For R. reinwardtii, these lines are bluish-white. Also, the black spot on R. kios webbing is only at the base. On R. reinwardtii, the black color goes all the way from the base to the edges of the webbing.
Where Does the Black-Webbed Treefrog Live?
R. kio lives in the rainforests of Southeast Asia. They are found at heights between 200 meters and 1,800 meters above sea level. These frogs prefer to live in the thick, closed-canopy parts of old and new evergreen rainforests.
Scientists have even seen R. kio in the rainforest canopy of southwest China, as high as 57 meters! This was surprising. Frogs usually stay under the canopy. This offers protection from weather and animals that might eat them. The very top of the canopy is drier and less suitable for amphibians. Researchers think the frogs might have been up there looking for insects to eat.
Where Can You Find the Black-Webbed Treefrog?
Rhacophorus kio is found in the rainforests of Southeast Asia. You can find them in China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- In China, they live in the Guangdong and Yunnan areas.
- In Laos, they are in Bokeo, Khammouan, and Phongsaly.
- In Thailand, they are found in Chiang Mai and Tak.
- In Vietnam, they live in Gia Lai, Ha Tinh, Lao Cai, Quang Binh, and Than Hoa.
Even though these frogs are spread across much of Southeast Asia, many areas are not good for them. Hills and mountains are not ideal places for them to breed. Instead, R. kio needs undisturbed forest canopies, marshes, and ponds within primary rainforests. Sadly, these important homes are threatened by ongoing deforestation in Asia.
Protecting the Black-Webbed Treefrog
As of April 2017, the IUCN Red List says R. kio is of "Least Concern." This means it's not highly endangered. However, the frog's population is split into many small groups. Sometimes, up to 10 male frogs have been seen near breeding spots. This suggests that while some groups are small, others are larger.
The biggest threat to Rhacophorus kio's home is deforestation. Forests are cut down to make space for farms. Pollution also harms their breeding pools, but to a lesser degree.
Some areas where R. kio lives are now protected. These include places like Nam Lan Forest Conservation Area and Ben En National Park. More research is needed to understand how much of their habitat is protected. We also need to know their full range and total population. This information will help make better decisions to protect these unique frogs.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
R. kio frogs usually reproduce from April to July. Male frogs call out from the trees above breeding pools to attract females. When a male and female mate, the female releases her eggs and a sticky liquid. The male releases sperm. Both frogs kick their back legs. This mixes the eggs, liquid, and sperm into a foamy nest.
After the foam nest is made, the male frog leaves. The female then uses her back legs to pull nearby leaves around the foam. She holds this position for about two minutes. She repeats this process three times, adding more leaves. Eventually, she creates an oval-shaped structure of leaves covering the eggs. After holding the completed nest for 20 minutes, the female leaves. The foam will eventually harden into a crust. When the eggs hatch, the tiny froglets drop from the nest into the pool below. They continue to grow there until they become adult frogs.
The eggs of R. kio are sometimes eaten by the larvae of a type of fly called Caiusa. These flies lay their eggs in the egg masses of many frogs. The leafy nests that R. kio builds help hide their eggs from these dangers.
How the Black-Webbed Treefrog Moves
R. kio has special features that help it live in the tree canopy. Its hands are flexible, and it has a small bump on its third finger. This helps it grip tree surfaces better. R. kio also has sticky toe pads. These pads help it stick to wet tree surfaces in the rainforest using friction.
These frogs can also glide to move through the trees. They have webbing between their fingers and toes. When they fall, they spread out this webbing. This allows them to glide from one tree to another. Other frogs in the Rhacophorus family, like the swamp-dwelling Zhangixalus dugritei, don't have as much webbing. They also don't glide.
These special adaptations help R. kio avoid falling. They may also help the frog escape from predators and find food. This allows R. kio to live successfully high up in the rainforest canopy.
