Thai National Parks

Species of Thailand

Saffron-bellied frog

Chaperina fusca

François Mocquard, 1892

Chaperina fusca (common names: brown thorny frog, spiny-heeled froglet, saffron-bellied frog) is a species of frog in the Microhylidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Chaperina.

It is found on the Malay Peninsula (Thailand and Malaysia), in Borneo (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei) and in the Philippines (Palawan, Mindanao, and Jolo islands). It is abundant in Borneo but uncommon on the Malay Peninsula and patchily distributed in the Philippines.

Description

Chaperina fusca are small frogs: males measure 18 - 21 mm in snout–vent length and females 20 - 26 mm. They are black above with minute white, light blue, or greenish spots. The skin is smooth with scattered tubercles; they have a sharp dermal projection on elbows and heel.

These frogs are active after rainfall on forest floor and low vegetation; they are good climbers.

Habitat and conservation

Its natural habitats are primary lowland and montane rainforests as well as edge habitats; it has also been found in rural gardens. It breeds in small, temporary water bodies rich in decaying organic matter.

Threats to this species include deforestation, habitat conversion to agriculture, and pollution.

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Scientific classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Amphibia
Order
Anura
Family
Microhylidae
Genus
Chaperina
Species
Chaperina fusca

Common names

  • English:
    • Saffron-bellied frog
    • Spiny-heeled froglet

Synonyms

  • Nectophryne picturata, Malcolm Arthur Smith (1921)
  • Chaperina beyeri, Edward Harrison Taylor (1920)
  • Microhyla leucostigma, George Albert Boulenger (1899)

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN3.1)

Least Concern (IUCN3.1)

Photos

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Chaperina fusca - Khao Sok National Park

Range Map

Distribution map of Saffron-bellied frog, Chaperina fusca in Thailand
  • Bang Lang National Park
  • Khao Sok National Park
  • Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary
Range map of Chaperina fusca in Thailand