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PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

THE AMPHIBIAN FAUNA

OF

PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

Rhacophorus pardalis. Photograph by A.J. Berry.

PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

THE AMPHIBIAN FAUN A OF

PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

by

P. Y. BERRY School of Biological Sciences

Universitiy of Malaya Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

TROPICAL PRESS KUALA LUMPUR

1975

PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

List of Figures

Introduction

Acknowledgements

CONTENTS

Keys to the amphibians of Peninsular Malaysia

Key to the families

Key to the species of Pelobatidae

Key to the species of Bufonidae

Key to the species of Ranidae

Key to the species of Rhacophoridae

Key to the species of Microhylidae

Family Caecilidae

Family Pelobatidae

Family Bufonidae

Family Ranidae

Family Rhacophoridae

Family Microhylidae

Bibliography

Index of Species

PAGE

viii

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32

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58

90

110

128

129

PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

FIGURE 1. Morphological characters used in the keys. 18

FIGURE 2. Ventral view of skull to show dentition in relation to choanae. 19

FIGURE 3. Pectoral girdles of anurans. 19

FIGURE 4. Diagrammatic sagittal section through end of digit of Rhacophorus, showing intercalary cartillage. 20

FIGURE 5. Foot of (A) Ooeidozyga and (B) Leptobrachium showing degree of webbing and toe tips; (C) hand of R . hosii and (D) enlarged digit tip showing cir-cum-marginal groove of disk. 20

FIGURE 6. Key to the species of Megophrys. 21

FIGURE 7. Key to Bufonidae. 21

FIGURE 8. Key to the species of Ansonia. 22

FIGURE 9. Key to the species of Bufo. 23

FIGURE 10. Key to the species of Rana. 24

FIGURE 11 . Key to the species of Rhacophorus. 27

FIGURE 12. Key to Microhylidae. 29

FIGURE 13. Ichthyophis glutinosus (Linnaeus). 30

FIGURE 14. Leptobrachium gracile Giinther. 32

FIGURE 15. Leptobrachium hasselti Tschudi. 34

FIGURE 16. Leptobrachium heteropus Boulenger. 35

FIGURE 17. Leptobrachium nigrops Berry & Hendrickson. 36

FIGURE 18. Leptobrachium pelodytoides Boulenger. 38

FIGURE 19. Megophrys longipes (Boulenger). 38

FIGURE 20. Megophrys monticola monticola Kuhl and van Hasselt. 40

FIGURE 21. M egophrys monticola nasuta (Schlegel). 40

FIGURE 22. Ansonia leptopus (Giinther). 42

PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

FIGURE 23. Ansonia malayana Inger. 44

FIGURE 24. Ansonia penangensis Stoliczka. 44

FIGURE 25. Ansonia tiomanica Hendrickson. 45

FIGURE 26. Bufo asper Gravenhorst. 46

FIGURE 27. Bufo biporcatus divergens Peters. 48

FIGURE 28. Bufo macrotis Boulenger. 49

FIGURE 29. Bufo melanostictus Schneider. 50

FIGURE 30. Bufo parvus Boulenger. 51

FIGURE 31. Bufo quadriporcatus Boulenger. 53

FIGURE 32. Cacophryne borbonica (Tschudi). 53

FIGURE 33. Pedostibes hosii Boulenger. 55

FIGURE 34. Pelophryne brevi pes (Peters). 56

FIGURE 35. Pseudobufo subasper Tschudi. 57

FIGURE 36. Amolops larutensis (Boulenger). 58

FIGURE 37. Ooeidozyga laevis (Giinther). 59

FIGURE 38. Ooeidozyga lima Kuhl and van Hasselt. 61

FIGURE 39. Rana baramica Boettger. 62

FIGURE 40. Rana cancrivora Gravenhorst. 63

FIGURE 41. Rana chalconota (Schlegel). 63

FIGURE 42. Rana doriae Boulenger. 65

FIGURE 43. Rana erythraea (Schlegel). 66

FIGURE 44. Rana glandulosa Boulenger. 68

FIGURE 45. Rana hascheana (Stoliczka). 68

FIGURE 46. Rana hosii Boulenger. 70

FIGURE 47. Rana kuhlii Dumeril & Bibron. 71

FIGURE 48. Rana laticeps Boulenger. 73

FIGURE 49. Rana limnocharis Boie. 73

FIGURE 50. Rana luctosa (Peters). 75

FIGURE 51. Rana macrodactyla (Giinther). 76

FIGURE 52. Rana macrodon Dumeril and Bibron. 78

FIGURE 53. Rana miopus Boulenger. 80

FIGURE 54. Rana nicobariensis (Stoliczka). 80

FIGURE 55. Rana nigrovittata (Blyth). 82

FIGURE 56. Rana nitida Smedley. 82

ix

PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

FIGURE 57. Rana paramacrodon Inger. 84

FIGURE 58. Rana plicatella Stoliczka. 85

FIGURE 59. Rana signata (Giinther). 86

FIGURE 60. Rana tenasserimensis Sclater. 87

FIGURE 61. Rana tigrina Daudin. 89

FIGURE 62. Philautus asper (Boulenger). 90

FIGURE 63. Philautus bimaculatus (Peters). 93

FIGURE 64. Philautus pictus (Peters). 95

FIGURE 65. Philautus vermiculatus (Boulenger). 96

FIGURE 66. Rhacophorus appendiculatus (Giinther). 97

FIGURE 67. Rhacophorus bimaculatus Boulenger. 98

FIGURE 68. Rhacophorus colletti Boulenger. 99

FIGURE 69. Rhacophorus leprosus (Tschudi). 101

FIGURE 70. Rhacophorus leucomystax (Boie). 101

FIGURE 71. Rhacophorus macrotis Boulenger. 103

FIGURE 72. Rhacophorus nigropalmatus Boulenger. 104

FIGURE 73. Rhacophorus pardalis Giinther. 105

FIGURE 74. Rhacophorus promianus Smith. 107

FIGURE 75. Rhacophorus reinwardtii (Wagler). 108

FIGURE 76. Rhacophorus robinsoni Boulenger. 108

FIGURE 77. Calluella volzi van Kampen. 110

FIGURE 78. Chaperina fusca Mocquard. 111

FIGURE 79. Kalophrynus pleurostigma Tschudi. 112

FIGURE 80. Kaloula baleata (S. Miiller). 114

FIGURE 81. Kaloula pulchra Gray. 115

FIGURE 82. Metaphrynella pollicaris (Boulenger). 116

FIGURE 83. Microhyla annectens Boulenger. 117

FIGURE 84. M icrohyla berdmorei (Blyth). 119

FIGURE 85. Microhy la butleri Boulenger. 121

FIGURE 86. Microhyla heymonsi Vogt. 122

FIGURE 87. Microhyla inornata Boulenger. 123

FIGURE 88 . Microhyla ornata (Dumeril and Bibron). 123

FIGURE 89. Microhyla palmipes Boulenger. 124

FIGURE 90. Microhyla superciliaris Parker. 125

FIGURE 91. Phrynella pulchra Boulenger. 127

x

PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

INTRODUCTION

Amphibia are cold-blooded vertebrates typically possessing limbs instead of fins , and having soft, moist skin without hair, feathers or external scales. There are three orders of living Amphibia: the Urodela, Anura and Apoda (Gymnophiona).

The Urodela inplude the newts and salamanders which have re­tained the generalized characters such as limbs (rarely lost) and tail, and a moderately elongate body. Teeth are also retained in both jaws (sometimes absent).

The Anura which comprise the frogs and toads have, however, become greatly modified and are not generalized. The legs are re­tained in all cases, but they are greatly enlarged in proportion to the arms for hopping and leaping. The body is also greatly modified and has become especially shortened, the number of vertebrae being greatly reduced. The teeth are, with rare exceptions, lost in the lower jaw and the tail has been lost in the adult, but retained in the tad­pole stage.

Despite these specializations, the anurans have been very success­ful and more than two thousand forms are known. They have also adapted themselves to many varieties of habitats. They have a varied life history pattern, and while normally the anurans require a free swimming tadpole stage, very many forms pass the larval stage en­tirely within the egg, the young frog emerging with arms and legs developed and the tail reduced or lost. Generally, the eggs are depo­sited in water, in the form of strings (toads), in clusters (frogs), or in foam-nests (tree-frogs of the family Rhacophoridae). Some anu­rans lay their eggs in shrubs and tree-holes, or on the ground in holes, depressions, or excavations.

The Apoda have become highly specialized for a subterranean life although large larval stages may be found beneath stones and submerged debris in streams. Adaptations for the burrowing habit include the loss of limbs and tail, tlie much elongated and snake­like body, the serpentine-like progression, and the reduced eyes. Like the anurans, the mode of life history varies in the Apoda. Eggs

PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

2 BERRY : AMPIllBIA OF PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

are usually fertilized internally and may be deposited in moist places under rocks, in moist burrows near stream banks or they may be retained in the oviduct, the young being born in an advanced larval stage. The Apoda, commonly known as caecilians, are less familiar to most people because of their subterranean habitat. The fact that only a single family is recognized at the present time, suggests that they all originated from and have diversified from a monophyletic group.

In Peninsular Malaysia, about 80 or more species, representing 6 families and 20 genera of anurans and caecilians have been rec­orded (there are no urodeleans in Malaysia). Despite the abun-­dance in number and species very little has been published or is known about the Malaysian amphibian fauna. These include a few articles in the Malayan Nature Journal (see Berry, 1973), the work of Boulenger (1912), and Smith (1930). Inger's (1966) work on the Amphibia of Borneo remains authoritative for East Malaysia. To the naturalists as well as many professionals these books are un­available and a sound, prior herpetological knowledge is required in order to use them. '

The main aim of this book is to facilitate naturalists, school teach­ers , as well as scientists to identify the many amphibians found in Peninsular Malaysia. The keys in this work are intended only as aids to srecies identification. Identifications made by use of these keys should be checked against the descriptions provided for each species. It must be emphasized that when preserved specimens are used for identification, good preservation is essential to rapid and accurate identification; many dermal characters such as granulation, webbing, skin folds, etc. become obscured with poor preservation.

Where possible, each species is accompanied by a photograph, since pictures may be regarded as a universal language substitute. Although colour photographs will be far superior than black and white illustrations, one is more often concerned with the identifica­tion of preserved specimens, in which case the illustrations in colour rr,ay be no more serviceable than the black and white photographs offered here.

No effort has been made to provide complete synonyms or litera­ture lists, the titles listed frequently being works dealing with the species as it occurs in Malaysia or adjoining countries. Notes on the ecology and known Peninsular Malaysian localities are .included.

PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA