AmphibiaChina 中国两栖类.

Conservation Status (definitions)

IUCN Red List Status Account Vulnerable (VU) CITES No CITES Listing National Status None Regional Status None

Description
Rana longicrus is a medium-sized frog, with a maximum SVL of 55 mm; females are larger than males. The snout is pointed in lateral view and acute in dorsal view. R. longicrus has a long narrow body with slender limbs. Fingers and toes are rounded, but do not have enlarged tips. The skin has a smooth texture with indistinct small black bumps (Lue 1990).

Female Rana longicrus are bright red, while males are yellow or brown. On the head, black stripes are present near the eyes. Lips are black with white spots all over. On the dorsum, black spots form the shape of the Chinese character for "eight". Front and hind legs have crossbars (Lue 1990).

The tadpole of Rana longicrus has a rounded body, small mouthparts, and a high tail fin. Two black spots are visible on the dorsum (Kuramoto et al. 1984).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: China, Taiwan

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Northern and central parts of Taiwan. Rana longicrus has a fragmented distribution (Stuart et al. 2008) and is more abundant in the northern parts of Taiwan, primarily in the mid-mountain ranges (Lue 1990). It has been recorded below 1000 m asl, in broadleaf forest as well as in cultivated fields (Stuart et al. 2008).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
In daytime, Rana longicrus hides in shrubs near water bodies. When approached by potential predators, Rana longicrus will leap into the water. This frog is usually found both singly and in groups (Lue 1990). It breeds in ponds, marshes, and pools (Stuart et al. 2008).

Rana longicrus is commonly preyed upon by snakes in Taiwan, especially during the warmer summer months (Mao 1970).

Trends and Threats
This frog is rare and its population is declining. It occurs within one protected area, Yangming San National Park (Stuart et al. 2008).

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss
Habitat modification from deforestation, or logging related activities
Urbanization
Habitat fragmentation
Local pesticides, fertilizers, and pollutants
Long-distance pesticides, toxins, and pollutants

References

Kuramoto, M., Wang, C. S., and Yu, H. T. (1984). ''Breeding, larval morphology and experimental hybridization of Taiwanese brown frogs, Rana longicrus and R. sauteri.'' Journal of Herpetology, 18(4), 387-395.

Lue, K.-Y. (1990). The Amphibians and Reptiles of Taiwan. The Council of Agriculture, Taiwan. R.O.C.

Mao, S. (1970). ''Food of the common venomous snakes of Taiwan.'' Herpetologica, 26(1), 45-48.

Stuart, S., Hoffmann, M., Chanson, J., Cox, N., Berridge, R., Ramani, P., Young, B. (eds) (2008). Threatened Amphibians of the World. Lynx Edicions, IUCN, and Conservation International, Barcelona, Spain; Gland, Switzerland; and Arlington, Virginia, USA.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2009 Rana longicrus <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/5080> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Dec 26, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 26 Dec 2024.

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