User:Oaj002/Rhacophorus vampyrus

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Rhacophorus vampyrus is a medium-sized species of flying frogs endemic to Vietnam. It Is in the kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, and class Amphibia. Along with this, it is in the order Anura, family Rhacophoridae, and It is the only member of the species Vampyrus. It is also known as the vampire tree frog or the vampire flying frog because of the presence of a pair of fang-like hooks in mouth of the tadpoles, as well as finger and toe webbing, which is gray to black in color. Its Vietnamese name is Ếch cây ma cà rồng.

It is found in montane evergreen forests at 1470–2004 m.The frog is adapted to arboreal living with webbings of feet that allow it to glide between trees.

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Conservation(add this section)

Rhacophorus vampyrus is classified as endangered under the IUCN Red list in 2014. The frog has not since been translocated in order to attempt conservation, or has been in captivation.

Ideas:

-Add a map of the population

-Add possible reasons for the endangered status

Rhacophorus vampyrus is classified as endangered under the IUCN Red list in 2014. R. Vampyrus is geographically separated from it's two main populations, due to the lower elevation being uninhabitable between these two areas. Along with this, R. Vampyrus needs to live in moist and dense montane rainforest environments. which loss of these environments can be a threat. Deforestation, along with exploitation of other forest resources are threats to R. Vampyrus, along with the aquaculture and agriculture processes, mostly for the harvesting of coffee beans, that can cause environmental changes to the area. Road development is also another factor that may put the environmental and species of R. Vampyrus in danger. This species is only known to be found in protected areas, which include Bidoup-Nui National Park and Ta Dung Nature Reserve. There is also probability that R. Vampyrus ranges into other areas, which may be protected areas such as Chu Yang Sin National Park and Phuoc Binh National Park, along with unprotected areas as well. There is a lack of data on the species, which is a way that conservation can be attempted for R. Vampyrus, along with research on habitat threats, population, and the ecology of the species.The frog has not since been translocated in order to attempt conservation, or has been in captivation.

Taxonomy

Rhacophorus vampyrus is in the family of Rhacophoridae, which throughout Africa, Southeast Asia, China, Taiwan, Japan, the Greater Sunda Islands, and the Philippines has approximately 320 species.

Description

There is also a pointed projection at tibiotarsal articulation.R. vampyrus is so far known only in southern Vietnam. Specimens were first found inside Bidoup Núi Bà National Park, although scientists expected to find them to be more widely distributed on the Langbian Plateau (specifically in Chư Yang Sin National Park and Phước Bình National Park). They have been later found in Ta Dung Nature reserve, Dak Glong District. The area that R. Vampyrus extends is approximately 2,082 km².

Life Cycle

R. vampyrus is a phytotelm breeder and lays its eggs in small water-filled tree holes during the rainy seasons, generally 0.3–1.2 m above the ground. Reproduction occurs mostly from July to May, producing clutches of a maximum amount of 250 eggs. The eggs are laid in foam nests on the wall of the tree hole, where nests are usually about 30-120cm above the ground. The larvae when hatched fall into a hollow basin filled with water. Tadpoles develop from the non-pigmented eggs. The tadpoles are long and dark-brown in colour. Their tails are about three times as long as their bodies. The species shows an unusual tadpole mouthpart morphology unknown in other anurans, namely presence of a specific serrated horny arch on the upper jaw, and a pair of fang-like horny teeth on the lower jaw. The two keratinised hooks project forward, and are supported laterally by two similar sized fleshy papillae on the margin of the reduced lower labium. The species is named after these unusual "fangs". These unique mouthparts indicate that the tadpoles are strictly feeding on eggs (oophagous) and the extra unfertilised eggs (specifically for food) are deposited by the mother frog in the water hole. This is an example of advanced parental care.

References

1.AmphibiaWeb. 2022. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 30 Sep 2022.

2.IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. 2020. Rhacophorus vampyrus (amended version of 2014 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T47143971A177130806. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T47143971A177130806.en. Accessed on 30 September 2022.

3. AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop. 2012. Conservation Needs Assessment for Rhacophorus vampyrus, Viet Nam. https://www.conservationneeds.org/Assessment/AssessmentResults?assessmentId=2405&countryId=141&speciesId=5387. Accessed 30 Sep 2022