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AmphibianTerrestrialIntermediate
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Cagayan Forest Frog
Platymantis cagayanensis
Native to the dense lowland rainforests of northern Luzon, this captivating terrestrial frog spends its life thriving within the damp, leaf-littered floors of pristine tropical environments.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Ceratobatrachidae
Subfamily:Ceratobatrachinae
Genus:Platymantis
Species:Platymantis cagayanensis
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
70 - 90 %
Day temperature
24 - 28 °C
Night temperature
20 - 23 °C
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: This species is endemic to the Cagayan province in northern Luzon, Philippines. It primarily inhabits pristine lowland tropical rainforests and secondary growth forests, generally restricted to elevations below 500 meters, where it lives within the damp leaf litter of the forest floor.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Classified within the family Ceratobatrachidae, genus Platymantis. It is part of the unique adaptive radiation of Philippine frogs characterized by direct development. Eggs are deposited in terrestrial microenvironments, and young hatch directly as fully formed frogs.
Behavior and Habits: Primarily terrestrial and nocturnal. During daylight hours, it burrows or hides under rotting logs, stones, and fallen leaves. At night, it emerges to hunt. Males vocalize directly from the forest floor, producing soft clicking or croaking sounds to mark territory.
Morphology: A stocky, ground-dwelling frog with powerful hind limbs built for jumping rather than climbing. The skin exhibits longitudinal folds and granular textures. Coloration is highly cryptic, composed of brown, reddish, and tan hues that resemble dead leaves.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: A horizontally oriented terrarium measuring at least 60x40x40 cm (24x16x16 inches) is recommended. The substrate must be a moisture-retaining soil mix 5-8 cm deep, topped with a thick layer of hardwood leaf litter (such as oak or catappa leaves) for hiding.
Lighting and Heating: Provide low-intensity LED lighting and a 2% to 5% UVB source. This lowland species prefers slightly warmer temperatures than its montane relatives, with a daytime range of 22°C to 25°C (72°F-77°F) and a night drop to around 20°C (68°F).
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain relative humidity levels between 75% and 85%. Mist the enclosure once or twice daily with clean, mineral-free water. Provide a very shallow, broad water dish with fresh dechlorinated water, as they cannot swim well and can easily drown.
Feeding and Supplementation: Diet consists of active crawling insects. Offer gut-loaded crickets, roach nymphs (such as Blaptica dubia), small mealworms, and springtails. Dust the insects with calcium and D3 supplements twice a week, and a multivitamin once a month.
Compatibility: Can be kept in male-female pairs. Avoid housing multiple males together due to risk of stress and physical altercations. As a terrestrial species, it should not be mixed with large tree frogs or predatory reptiles that share the same floor space.
Health and Common Diseases: Susceptible to skin infections and chytridiomycosis if substrate hygiene is neglected. Provide regular spot cleaning of the leaf litter. Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) can occur if dietary calcium and UVB lighting are insufficient.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
This species is endemic to the Cagayan province in northern Luzon, Philippines. It primarily inhabits pristine lowland tropical rainforests and secondary growth forests, generally restricted to elevations below 500 meters, where it lives within the damp leaf litter of the forest floor.
Origin
North AmericaSouth and Southeast Asia
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 2.8 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Toxicity
- No verified data available
- Life stage
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 2.8 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 2.8 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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