Scientific Classification
ORDER: ANURA
FAMILY: RANIDAE
GENUS: ODORRANA
SPECIES: O. chloronota
ICUN REDLIST: LEAST CONCERN
HABITAT
The Chloronate Huia frog has long, powerful legs and fully webbed feet, adaptations for swimming in fast-moving water. Its large toe pads allow it to cling to rocks in the torrents and surrounding vegetation. This frog has a smooth, bright green dorsum, and dark sides. Its limbs have dark cross bars and its belly is white. A white line runs from the snout to the base of the foreleg. It can easily be distinguished morphologically from O. livida, as O. livida is uniformly dull-grey in color, and has smooth skin on its flanks.
APPEARANCE
Not much is known about the behavior of the Chloronate Huia frog, but it most likely has an ecological role of providing food for predators such as snakes and large lizards. It would also control insect populations. This species is reportedly able to secrete a milky fluid on its skin when disturbed. The secretion is toxic and caustic with a pungent smell, this is a defensive mechanism,
BEHAVIOUR
Coconut octopus have a remarkable behaviour in this species is tool use; they have been observed using coconut shells and large clams as a protection against predation by hiding in them and ‘walking’ across the sea floor, like a floating coconut. They are also only known to hunt at dawn and dusk, using their tentacles to reach into crevices and grab prey.
REPRODUCTION
Little is known about the reproductive behaviour in this species, although it is presumed to occur in streams and occur from May to July. The eggs are described as white and about 2.4mm. Frogs are oviparous meaning the females lay fertilised eggs that have little or no embryonic development. The eggs will then hatch to tadpoles which will develop overtime into adult frogs.
ECOSYSTEM ROLE & HUMAN BENEFITS
| Diet | Most likely small invertebrates including insects |
| Ecological role | Secondary Consumer (regulates insect populations) & food source to predatory species. Indicator of environmental change both atmospheric and aquatic |
| Human benefits | Harvested for food by ethnic groups and farmers in Vietnam and China |
| Threats | Deforestation, pollution of waterways, hydrological changes |
INTERESTING FACT
The Chloronate Huia Frog’s toxic milky fluid is said to be able to kill other frogs, this may be used in conjunction with competition for food or space.
** This data set was written by Luke Anning of Bournemouth University, England and edited by Stephanie Young**
***Identification of these species has been made through, photographic documentation cross referenced with external specialists and identification books. Any errors in our database will be rectified upon notification, if you feel that we have misidentified any species please help us to improve our research through our contact us page. All people involved will be acknowledge in the website and reports***
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