Description
Rana monjerai is a medium-sized frog, with females reaching at least 75 mm in SVL and males measuring 38-43 mm in SVL (for three male specimens). This species has a slender body with a triangular head and a straight, rounded snout that projects past the lower jaw. The canthus rostralis is distinct, and the lores are vertical and quite concave. Eyes are large. The pineal spot is visible. The tympanum is large in males, whereas in females the tympanum is small. Vomerine teeth are present in short, oblique groups which are evenly spaced from each other and the choanae. The tongue has a deep notch and lacks papillae. Forelimbs are robust. Finger I is shorter than finger II. The fingers lack webbing and have dilated discs with circummarginal grooves. Hind limbs are long. The toes are fully webbed, with the webbing being thick but not crenulate. Subarticular tubercles are oval-shaped and prominent. The inner metatarsal tubercle is oval and distinct. No outer metatarsal tubercle is present. Tarsal folds are lacking. The dorsal skin is finely tuberculated. Dorsolateral folds are present and glandular, while supratympanic folds are present but flat. Skin on the side of the trunk is coarsely granulated. The ventrum is smooth. Males have cream-colored, distinct nuptial pads, on the dorsal and median surfaces of the first finger, extending from the base of the finger to the subarticular tubercle. Males also have paired subgular vocal sacs, unlike the similar species Rana hosii, which lacks gular pouches. In addition, males have large tympana.

Dorsal coloration varies from green with dark brown spots, to dark brown with green markings. The venter is white. The upper lip has a broad white stripe. Hindlimbs appear to be barred dorsally in the photo from the original paper (Matsui and Jaafar 2006) but this is not discussed in the text.

This species can be distinguished from other members of the subgenus Odorrana by the following combination of characteristics: white lip stripe, dorsolateral folds, fully webbed fourth toe, vomerine teeth, presence of gular vocal pouches in the male, much larger tympanum in the male, first finger shorter than second, finely tuberculated, granular dorsum, and unpigmented ova in females.

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Malaysia

Malaysian region distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Peninsular Malaysia

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Rana monjerai occurs on the western coast of West Peninsular Malaysia, in the state of Kedah. It has been described only from the type locality, the Teroi River area of Gunung Jerai mountain, living along mountain streams in montane myrtaceous forest, at an elevation of 720 m.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
This frog perches on rocks and sand along mountain streams. It has only recently been discovered (Matsui and Jaafar 2006) so little is known about its natural history.

The breeding season occurs later than early June, as the single female specimen collected at that time had mature ova present in the ovaries. These mature ova measured 2.3 mm in diameter and were creamy colored, lacking pigment.

References

Matsui, M., and Jaafar, I. (2006). ''A new cascade frog of the subgenus Odorrana from Peninsular Malaysia.'' Zoological Science, 23(6), 647-651.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2008 Odorrana monjerai <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/6806> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 25, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 25 Nov 2024.

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