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Malabar Gliding Frog
Rhacophorus malabaricus
Malabar gliding frog. A stunning, large flying frog from India, featuring a bright green back, yellow belly, and vibrant scarlet-red webbing on its oversized feet.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Rhacophoridae
Genus:Rhacophorus
Species:Rhacophorus malabaricus
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
80 - 90 %
Day temperature
23 - 26 °C
Night temperature
20 - 22 °C
Ambient temperature
23 - 26 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Endemic to the dense, wet, and isolated primary rainforests of the Western Ghats mountain range in southwestern India. A canopy-dwelling arboreal species that spends most of its life high in the trees, descending to overhanging vegetation near ponds to breed.
Taxonomy and Genetics: A large tree frog with females reaching sizes of 8 to 10 cm. Features a bright emerald green dorsal surface, a yellowish-white belly, and huge webbed feet. The webbing between the fingers and toes is an intense scarlet-red with dark veins, which it uses to glide between branches.
Behavior and Habits: Strictly nocturnal and arboreal. During the day, it sleeps camouflaged on leaves. At night, it becomes active, climbing and performing spectacular gliding leaps, using its expanded red webbing as a parachute. Males construct foam nests suspended over pools.
Morphology: Mature females are significantly larger and heavier than males. Males are smaller, more slender, and produce a low, harsh vocalization during the monsoon season.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a very large, vertical forest terrarium (minimum 60x45x90 cm) to allow gliding and prevent snout injuries from glass collision. Furnish with thick branches, vines, and large-leaved live plants (e.g. Monstera, banana plants) and a large water basin.
Lighting and Heating: Prefers a moderate, mountain tropical climate. Maintain temperatures between 23°C and 26°C during the day. Avoid temperatures above 28°C. Keep nights at 20-22°C. A 5.0 UVB light is essential to prevent metabolic bone disease.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain high relative humidity (80-90%) through daily misting. Excellent ventilation is mandatory to prevent stagnant, foul conditions that cause fatal bacterial skin infections.
Feeding and Supplementation: Voracious insectivore. Feeds on large crickets, roaches, and locusts. Prey should be dusted with calcium and vitamin D3 supplements at least three times a week to support their active jumping lifestyle.
Compatibility: Peaceful and gregarious. Can be kept in small groups provided there is ample vertical space. Do not house with smaller species that could be eaten, or aggressive species that might cause stress.
Health and Common Diseases: Highly susceptible to snout abrasions from flying into glass if the enclosure is too small. Susceptible to red leg syndrome and bacterial skin infections in poor hygienic conditions. Avoid handling to prevent skin irritation.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Endemic to the dense, wet, and isolated primary rainforests of the Western Ghats mountain range in southwestern India. A canopy-dwelling arboreal species that spends most of its life high in the trees, descending to overhanging vegetation near ponds to breed.
Origin
South and Southeast Asia
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 7.8 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 7.8 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 7.8 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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