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Rhacophorus

{{Short description|Genus of amphibians}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Rhacophorus malabaricus flat.jpg

| image_caption = Malabar gliding frog
(Rhacophorus malabaricus)
Note the elongated toes with prominent webbing.

| taxon = Rhacophorus

| authority = Kuhl & Van Hasselt, 1822

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = See text

| synonyms =

  • Rhacoforus Palacky, 1898 (lapsus)
  • Racophorus Schlegel, 1826 (lapsus)

}}

Rhacophorus is a genus of frogs in the shrub-frog family Rhacophoridae, which, with the related Hylidae, is one of the two genera of true tree frogs. They are found in China, India, Japan, and throughout Southeast Asia, including the island of Borneo. Over 40 species are currently recognised.{{cite web |url=http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/?action=names&taxon=&family=&subfamily=&genus=Rhacophorus|title=Rhacophorus|author=Frost, Darrel R. |date=2013 |work=Amphibian Species of the World 5.6, an Online Reference |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |access-date=15 April 2013}}

These frogs have long toes with strong webbing between them, enabling the animals to jump from tree to tree, using the webbing to control a gliding descent, a form of arboreal locomotion known as parachuting.{{cite web|author1=John R. Hutchinson|title=Gliding and Parachuting|url=http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/vertebrates/flight/gliding.html|website=www.ucmp.berkeley.edu|publisher=Regents of the University of California}} This behavioral adaptation is the source of their common name, "flying frogs".

The present genus is closely related to Polypedates, which (formerly) was included in Rhacophorus. Even today, it is not fully agreed upon which of these genera "P." feae and the Chinese flying frog ("R." dennysi) properly belong to; furthermore, a supposedly new species, "P. pingbianensis", has been found to be the same as R. duboisi.

File:Rhacophorus arboreus Eggｓ in Mount Ryu 2011-09-29.jpg]]

Reproduction

These frogs lay their eggs in aerial foam nests; upon hatching, tadpoles drop to the water under the nest and complete their development there.{{Cite journal | last1 = Grosjean | first1 = S. | last2 = Delorme | first2 = M. | last3 = Dubois | first3 = A. | last4 = Ohler | first4 = A. | title = Evolution of reproduction in the Rhacophoridae (Amphibia, Anura) | doi = 10.1111/j.1439-0469.2007.00451.x | journal = Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research | volume = 46 | issue = 2 | pages = 169 | year = 2008 | doi-access = free }}{{Cite journal | last = Li| first = Jiatang|author2=Dingqi Rao |author3=Robert W. Murphy |author4=Yaping Zhang | year = 2011| title = The systematic status of rhacophorid frogs| journal = Asian Herpetological Research| volume = 2| pages = 1–11| doi = 10.3724/SP.J.1245.2011.00001 |url=http://210.75.237.14/bitstream/351003/23370/1/2011e0121z.pdf}} Some species like Rhacophorus kio will wrap this and cover this foam nest with leaves.{{Cite journal |last=Poo |first=Sinland |date=2016 |title=RHACOPHORUS KIO. OVIPOSITION AND NEST CONSTRUCTION |url=https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/ |journal=Herpetological Review |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=119–120}}

Species

These species are recognised in the genus Rhacophorus:{{Cite journal|last1=Kropachev|first1=Ivan I.|last2=Orlov|first2=Nikolai L.|last3=Ninh|first3=Hoa Thi|last4=Nguyen|first4=Tao Thien|date=2019-12-15|title=A New Species of Rhacophorus Genus (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae: Rhacophorinae) from Van Ban District, Lao Cai Province, Northern Vietnam|url=http://rjh.folium.ru/index.php/rjh/article/view/1524|journal=Russian Journal of Herpetology|language=en|volume=26|issue=6|pages=325–334|doi=10.30906/1026-2296-2019-26-6-325-334|s2cid=216378292|issn=1026-2296|url-access=subscription}}

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Phylogeny

The following is a partial phylogeny of Rhacophorus from Pyron & Wiens (2011).{{cite journal |author1=R. Alexander Pyron |author2=John J. Wiens | year = 2011 | title= A large-scale phylogeny of Amphibia including over 2800 species, and a revised classification of extant frogs, salamanders, and caecilians | journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume = 61 | issue = 2 | pages = 543–583 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2011.06.012| pmid = 21723399 | doi-access = free }} Only nine species are included. Rhacophorus is a sister group of Polypedates.

{{clade| style=font-size:85%;line-height:80%

|label1=Rhacophorus

|1={{clade

|1={{clade

|1={{clade

|1={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Rhacophorus annamensis

|2=Rhacophorus orlovi

}}

|2={{clade

|1=Rhacophorus malabaricus

|2=Rhacophorus calcaneus

}}

}}

|2={{clade

|1=Rhacophorus rhodopus

|2={{clade

|1=Rhacophorus bipunctatus

|2={{clade

|1=Rhacophorus kio

|2={{clade

|1=Rhacophorus reinwardtii

|2=Rhacophorus lateralis

}}

}}

}}

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References

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{Commons category}}

  • [http://www.amphibia.my/page.php?pageid=Browse%20Species%20Guide&family=Rhacophoridae%20(Afro-asian%20Tree%20Frogs) Amphibian and Reptiles of Peninsular Malaysia - Family Rhacophoridae]

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Category:Amphibians of Asia

Category:Amphibian genera

Category:Taxa named by Heinrich Kuhl

Category:Taxa named by Johan Conrad van Hasselt