Meristogenys stenocephalus

Narrow-headed Torrent Frog

                     

Meristogenys stenocephalus inhabits rocky streams in hillside forests of Sabah (380–750 m asl). It was described from Crocker Range National Park and found in several other places in Sabah.

A medium to large species with males measuring 48–60 mm in snout-vent length, 76–86 mm in females. The rear of the thigh is dark brown, dusted with small irregular light spots. the fourth toe is fully webbed to its disk. The tibia length / snout-vent length (SVL) ratio is usually greater than 0.70. The head narrow: the head width to SVL ratio is usually less than 0.35 and 0.41, respectively.

The back is light to dark brown, without markings. The supratympanic fold has an interrupted dark streak. The upper lip is whitish yellow without markings; the lower lip is whitish with weak dark spots. The iris is yellowish green above and below, with a small segment of reddish orange in between, The centre of the tympanum is dark without light spot. The limbs are marked dorsally with alternating light- and dark-brown cross-bars. The rear of the thigh is light brown with scattered light spots. The throat, chest, and abdomen are whitish; ventral surfaces of legs also whitish in ground color, with dense dots of melanophores.

Larvae are known from rivers of 10–15 m in width in both localities.

Photo courtesy of ©Tomohiko Shimada.