Nagao's pug-snout frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nagao's pug-snout frog |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Microhylidae |
| Genus: | Uperodon |
| Species: |
U. nagaoi
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| Binomial name | |
| Uperodon nagaoi (Manamendra-Arachchi and Pethiyagoda, 2001)
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| Synonyms | |
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The Uperodon nagaoi, also known as the Nagao's pug-snout frog or Nagao's globular frog, is a special kind of frog. It belongs to the Microhylidae family, which includes many small frogs. This frog is found only in Sri Lanka, making it an endemic species. You can find it in the Central, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, and Western Provinces of the country. The frog's scientific name, nagaoi, was chosen to honor Eijiro Nagao. He was a president of Marusan Securities who helped fund research on Sri Lankan amphibians through the Nagao Environmental Foundation.
Contents
About the Nagao's Pug-Snout Frog
What Does It Look Like?
Adult male Nagao's pug-snout frogs are usually about 26 to 30 millimeters (about 1 inch) long. Females are a bit larger, measuring around 27 to 32 millimeters.
The frog's head is wider than it is long. Its snout looks flat when you look from above and rounded from the side. You can't see its eardrum (called a tympanum) from the outside, but there's a small ridge where it should be.
Hands and Feet
The frog's fingers have special skin flaps on the sides and triangular, wide tips. Its toes have small webs between them. The tips of its toes are slightly flat or rounded, and they are fleshy and smooth.
Colors and Markings
This frog is dark brown. It has bright yellow spots near its eyes and on its upper lip. You can also see reddish-orange patches on its snout, the sides of its back, its belly, and around its rear end and legs. Male frogs have a visible throat sac, which they use to make calls.
Where It Lives and How It's Protected
Habitat
Uperodon nagaoi frogs live both on land and in trees. They prefer wet forests in low-lying areas. These frogs have been found at heights of about 125 to 150 meters (around 410 to 490 feet) above sea level.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
These frogs are unique because they lay their eggs and raise their tadpoles inside tree holes. They always use tree holes for breeding. Scientists once found a female frog in a tree hole with her eggs stuck to the wall just above the water. This suggests that the mother frog might stay to care for her eggs.
Conservation Efforts
The Nagao's pug-snout frog lives in places like the Kanneliya Forest Reserve, which is where it was first discovered. It also lives in the Hiyare Forest Reserve. This frog is listed as an Endangered species, meaning it needs protection to survive in the wild.
Interesting Behavior
Friendship with Spiders
The Nagao's pug-snout frog has a very interesting relationship with large spiders called tarantulas. This is called a mutualistic relationship, which means both the frog and the spider help each other.
Scientists have seen these frogs sharing tree holes with tarantulas like Poecilotheria ornata and Poecilotheria subfusca. Some of these shared tree holes even had eggs or young spiders, frogs, or both!
How They Help Each Other
It's thought that the tarantula protects the frog from animals that might try to eat it. In return, the frog helps protect the spider's eggs from tiny predators like ants. This is similar to how another frog, Chiasmocleis ventrimaculata, works with the tarantula Xenesthis immanis. It's a great example of how different animals can cooperate in nature!
 | Kyle Baker |
 | Joseph Yoakum |
 | Laura Wheeler Waring |
 | Henry Ossawa Tanner |
