Kampira Falls Frog
Encyclopedia
The Kampira Falls Frog, Yaeyama Harpist Frog or Harpist Brown Frog (Rana okinavana) is a species
in the true frog
family
(Ranidae). Until recently known as Rana psaltes, it is found on Ishigaki and Iriomote
in the Yaeyama Islands
of Japan
, as well as on Taiwan
.
It is a mid-sized stout brown frog, with a distinctive suprabrachial gland and a fold of skin running from the shoulders to the hips. The latter features unite it with other species of Rana
, which may belong into Babina or Nidirana if these are considered valid.
Its natural habitat
s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest
s, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland
, swamp
s, freshwater marsh
es, and canal
s and ditches. It is threatened by habitat loss.
. Oskar Boettger
described a frog species from the Ryūkyū Islands
as Rana okinavana. He could not tell for certain where these specimens were collected as they had reached him via an animal trader and not from the actual collector, but suspected it to be Okinawa in the central Ryūkyūs, the most accessible island of the archipelago
.
By 1907 it was known that what supposedly was the same medium-sized brown frog also occurred on the Yaeyama Islands
in the southern Ryūkyū archipelago, though subsequently, Boettger's frog could only be found there. Later still, the presence of the brown frogs of Okinawa was verified and they were studies, with scientists believing that Boettger's taxon
applied to them. Eventually the situation had changed to R. okinavana supposedly referring to the Okinawan frogs only, with the Yaeyama frogs being either ignored or believed to belong to another species altogether. This was the situation by the time World War II
interrupted further research, with some even believing it did not exist at all.
In the mid-20th century, the Okinawan and Yaeyama frogs were again united under R. okinavana, but once again without checking Boettger's type specimens. By the 1970s however, it was realized that the southern frogs, though superficially similar in being about the same size and color, differed significantly from those on Okinawa. Initially identified as R. adenopleura
, the Yaeyama Harpist Frog was described as a new species, Rana psaltes, in 1985.
In 1999, upon examination of the lectotype
of Boettger's R. okinavana, it was realized that this animal was very similar to R. psaltes, differing from the Okinawan brown frogs just as the recently-described Yaeyama frogs did. It furthermore turned out that Boettger's specimens were included in the same batch from the same collector as his specimens of Chirixalus eiffingeri. These specimens must have been collected on the Yaeyama Islands however, as it certainly does not occur on Okinawa. And thus, the frogs formerly known as R. psaltes - which had also been found on Taiwan
in the meantime - turned out to be the same species
that Boettger had described, and hence according to ICZN
rules, it is now known as R. okinavana, while the Ryūkyū Brown Frog is yet to receive a scientific name. Furthermore, there are some slight differences between Boettger's types of R. okinavana and Kuramoto's types of R. psaltes which were collected on Iriomote Island. Should Boettger's specimen, e.g. by ancient DNA
analysis, turn out to be from Ishigaki and be subspecifically
distinct from the Iriomote population, the latter would become subspecies psaltes.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in the true frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Ranidae). Until recently known as Rana psaltes, it is found on Ishigaki and Iriomote
Iriomote
Iriomote is the largest of the Yaeyama Islands and the second largest in Okinawa Prefecture after Okinawa Island itself....
in the Yaeyama Islands
Yaeyama Islands
The Yaeyama Islands are a group of islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.The isles are the remotest part of Japan from the main islands and contains Japan's most southern and most western inhabited islands.The islands form the southern part of the volcanic Nansei Islands...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, as well as on Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
It is a mid-sized stout brown frog, with a distinctive suprabrachial gland and a fold of skin running from the shoulders to the hips. The latter features unite it with other species of Rana
Rana (genus)
Rana is a genus of frogs. Species include such archetypal pond frogs as the common frog of Europe, brown frogs, and the New and Old World true frogs, including the various species of leopard frogs and the American bullfrog. Members of this genus are found through much of Eurasia, North America,...
, which may belong into Babina or Nidirana if these are considered valid.
Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
, swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s, freshwater marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es, and canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s and ditches. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Taxonomy
This frog has a confusing taxonomic history which is entwined with that of the Ryūkyū Brown FrogRyukyu Brown Frog
The Ryūkyū Brown Frog or Okinawa Frog is an undescribed species in the true frog family .It is endemic to the Ryūkyū Islands Japan, specifically Okinawa and perhaps neighboring islands....
. Oskar Boettger
Oskar Boettger
Oskar Boettger was a German zoologist who was a native of Frankfurt am Main. He was an uncle of the noted malacologist Caesar Rudolf Boettger ....
described a frog species from the Ryūkyū Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
as Rana okinavana. He could not tell for certain where these specimens were collected as they had reached him via an animal trader and not from the actual collector, but suspected it to be Okinawa in the central Ryūkyūs, the most accessible island of the archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
.
By 1907 it was known that what supposedly was the same medium-sized brown frog also occurred on the Yaeyama Islands
Yaeyama Islands
The Yaeyama Islands are a group of islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.The isles are the remotest part of Japan from the main islands and contains Japan's most southern and most western inhabited islands.The islands form the southern part of the volcanic Nansei Islands...
in the southern Ryūkyū archipelago, though subsequently, Boettger's frog could only be found there. Later still, the presence of the brown frogs of Okinawa was verified and they were studies, with scientists believing that Boettger's taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
applied to them. Eventually the situation had changed to R. okinavana supposedly referring to the Okinawan frogs only, with the Yaeyama frogs being either ignored or believed to belong to another species altogether. This was the situation by the time World War II
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
interrupted further research, with some even believing it did not exist at all.
In the mid-20th century, the Okinawan and Yaeyama frogs were again united under R. okinavana, but once again without checking Boettger's type specimens. By the 1970s however, it was realized that the southern frogs, though superficially similar in being about the same size and color, differed significantly from those on Okinawa. Initially identified as R. adenopleura
Rana adenopleura
Babina adenopleura is a species of frog in the Ranidae family.It is found in China and Taiwan.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, swamps, freshwater...
, the Yaeyama Harpist Frog was described as a new species, Rana psaltes, in 1985.
In 1999, upon examination of the lectotype
Lectotype
In botanical nomenclature and zoological nomenclature, a lectotype is a kind of name-bearing type. When a species was originally described on the basis of a name-bearing type consisting of multiple specimens, one of those may be designated as the lectotype...
of Boettger's R. okinavana, it was realized that this animal was very similar to R. psaltes, differing from the Okinawan brown frogs just as the recently-described Yaeyama frogs did. It furthermore turned out that Boettger's specimens were included in the same batch from the same collector as his specimens of Chirixalus eiffingeri. These specimens must have been collected on the Yaeyama Islands however, as it certainly does not occur on Okinawa. And thus, the frogs formerly known as R. psaltes - which had also been found on Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in the meantime - turned out to be the same species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
that Boettger had described, and hence according to ICZN
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals...
rules, it is now known as R. okinavana, while the Ryūkyū Brown Frog is yet to receive a scientific name. Furthermore, there are some slight differences between Boettger's types of R. okinavana and Kuramoto's types of R. psaltes which were collected on Iriomote Island. Should Boettger's specimen, e.g. by ancient DNA
Ancient DNA
Ancient DNA is DNA isolated from ancient specimens. It can be also loosely described as any DNA recovered from biological samples that have not been preserved specifically for later DNA analyses...
analysis, turn out to be from Ishigaki and be subspecifically
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
distinct from the Iriomote population, the latter would become subspecies psaltes.
External links
- Kampira Falls Frog photo. Retrieved 2008-FEB-02.
- Mating Ryūkyū Brown Frogs photo. Retrieved 2008-FEB-02.
