Rough-backed forest frog
Platymantis corrugatus
A distinctive terrestrial frog from the Philippines with heavily ridged skin and direct development. Requires highly humid terrariums with thick leaf litter.
Ambiente
Terrestre
Umidade
70 - 90 %
Temperatura diurna
24 - 28 °C
Temperatura noturna
22 - 24 °C
Descrição da espécie
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Endemic to the Philippine archipelago, where it is distributed across several islands. Inhabits the floor of humid tropical rainforests, preferring wet leaf litter and shelters near small mountain streams.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Part of the family Ceratobatrachidae, genus Platymantis. This species is genetically characterized by direct embryonic development within eggs laid in damp terrestrial settings, skipping any aquatic tadpole stage.
Behavior and Habits: Mainly terrestrial and active during night hours. Moves by hopping through damp foliage hunting for food. Males call at night, producing a repetitive raspy croaking sound from shaded areas.
Morphology: Moderate size, about 3-4.5 cm in length. The primary feature is the skin of the back, which shows numerous longitudinal folds and prominent dermal ridges (giving the species name corrugatus). Coloration is brown with darker shades.
Cuidado, criação e companheiros de tanque
Terrarium Setup: Requires a horizontal terrarium of at least 60x40x40 cm for a pair or small group. Ideal substrate is organic forest soil mixed with peat, covered with a layer of decaying oak leaves, bark, and moss.
Lighting and Heating: Dim lighting with a 12-hour photoperiod. Temperature must be kept cool, ideally between 21°C and 24°C during the day, with a drop at night. Do not use incandescent heating bulbs.
Humidity and Hydration: High air humidity (85-95%). Mist regularly with demineralized water. A very shallow, clean water dish should be placed in the terrarium, with the water changed daily.
Feeding and Supplementation: Diet consisting of live insects: appropriately sized crickets, freshly molted mealworms, fruit flies, and springtails. Supplement with calcium and multivitamins for amphibians once or twice a week.
Compatibility: Monospecific setup is highly recommended. Several females can be kept with a male, but the enclosure must be properly structured with low plants and branches to avoid crowding stress.
Health and Common Diseases: Particularly sensitive to fungal infections (chytridiomycosis) and skin bacteriosis caused by poor hygiene or waterlogged substrate. A well-managed bioactive terrarium helps prevent these issues.
Origem e distribuição geográfica
Endemic to the Philippine archipelago, where it is distributed across several islands. Inhabits the floor of humid tropical rainforests, preferring wet leaf litter and shelters near small mountain streams.
Origem
Cosmopolita ou apresentadoAmérica do NorteSul e Sudeste Asiático
Perfil anfíbio
- Dieta
- Insectivore
- This species is a typical forest-dwelling insectivore, feeding primarily on a variety of leaf-litter invertebrates. Its diet encompasses small spiders, crickets, beetles, and ants that inhabit the moist, shaded environment of the forest floor. The frog employs a sit-and-wait ambush strategy, using its camouflage to blend into the detritus before striking quickly at passing prey.
- Expectativa de vida
- 3-8 years
- Tamanho adulto
- 4.8 cm
- Estilo de vida/Microhabitat
- Terrestrial
- It is predominantly a terrestrial ground-dweller, inhabiting the moist leaf litter, moss, and dense undergrowth of its native tropical forest environment.
- Ciclo de atividades
- Nocturnal
- The Forest Frog is primarily active at night to avoid the heat and potential dehydration of the day. It spends the daylight hours hidden away in cool, damp microhabitats and emerges after dusk to actively forage for small invertebrates.
- Socialidade
- Gregarious
- It is a solitary terrestrial species that spends most of its time hidden within the leaf litter or under forest debris. Social interactions are largely minimal, restricted mostly to the breeding season when males establish small calling territories to attract females. Outside of mating, individuals actively avoid each other and maintain a highly cryptic lifestyle to evade predators.
- Reprodução
- Direct development
- Reproduction in this species is oviparous and features a fascinating direct-development lifecycle. Females lay small clutches of eggs in moist, terrestrial microhabitats such as rotting logs, under moss, or within leaf litter, completely bypassing the need for standing water. The embryos develop directly within the egg capsules and hatch as fully formed, miniature froglets rather than free-swimming tadpoles.
- Toxicidade
- Toxic
- No known toxicity to humans, but sensitive to chemical agents on the skin.
- Estágio de vida
- Direct development
- Direct embryonic development: eggs are laid in moist leaf litter and hatch directly into tiny froglets.
- Tolerância de tratamento
- Display only
- As an amphibian with highly permeable and sensitive skin, it is strictly a display animal. Handling should be avoided entirely, as human body heat, natural oils, and soap residues can easily cause toxicosis and fatal stress.
- Brumação
- Não obrigatório
- Native to humid, tropical environments with minimal seasonal temperature variation, it does not require a brumation period and needs a stable, warm climate year-round.
- Muda
- Periodic
- Like most amphibians, it sheds its skin regularly. The process is completely dependent on a consistently high-humidity environment. It will contort its body to loosen the dead skin, subsequently pulling it into its mouth and consuming it to recycle valuable nutrients.
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