Amolops formosus, also known as Assam sucker frog, beautiful stream frog, Assam cascade frog, or hill stream frog,[3] is a species of frog found in high gradient streams of northern India, northern Bangladesh, and Nepal,[3] possibly also Bhutan, although these records may represent confusion between Amolops himalayanus and this species;[3] the latest available IUCN assessment from 2004 treats A. himalayanus as a synonym of A. formosus.[1]

Amolops formosus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Ranidae
Genus: Amolops
Species:
A. formosus
Binomial name
Amolops formosus
(Günther, 1876)
Synonyms[3]
  • Polypedates formosus Günther, 1876 "1875"[2]
  • Rana formosa (Günther, 1876)

Description edit

Adult males measure, based on the holotype only, 64 mm (2.5 in) [2] and females measure 63–73 mm (2.5–2.9 in) in snout–vent length. The head is relatively wide. The tympanum is small but distinct. The fingers have no webbing while the toes are fully webbed; both fingers and toes bear discs. Skin is smooth. The dorsum is green with irregular distinct chocolate-coloured blotches with yellow dots. The ventral parts are light with a greenish abdomen.[4]

Habitat and conservation edit

Amolops formosus is a rare frog associated with streams and riparian vegetation within tropical evergreen forest[1] at elevations of 1,000–2,508 m (3,281–8,228 ft) above sea level.[1][4] It is threatened by habitat loss caused by deforestation and dams. It is present in the Namdapha National Park and Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh (India).[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Sabitry Bordoloi, Annemarie Ohler, Mohammed Firoz Ahmed, Tej Kumar Shrestha (2004). "Amolops formosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T58206A11746654. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T58206A11746654.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b Günther, A. C. L. G. (1876). "Third report on collections of Indian reptiles obtained by the British Museum". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1875: 567–577.
  3. ^ a b c d Frost, Darrel R. (2021). "Amolops formosus (Günther, 1876)". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b Khatiwada, Janak Raj; et al. (2020). "Description of a new species of Amolops Cope, 1865 (Amphibia: Ranidae) from Nepal and nomenclatural validation of Amolops nepalicus Yang, 1991". Asian Herpetological Research. 11: 71–95. doi:10.16373/j.cnki.ahr.190052.