Amphibians · Anura · Rhacophoridae

Java Whipping Frog

Polypedates leucomystax

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Java whipping frog is one of the commonest frogs in South-East Asia and a regular inhabitant of gardens and buildings. It breeds in foam nests that the pair whips up with their hind legs and sticks to branches or walls above water: on hatching, the tadpoles drop straight into the pool below.

Size

4 cm – 8 cm

Lifespan

8 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

It whips up foam nests over water: the pair mix their secretions with their hind legs until they form a mass that hardens on the outside and protects the eggs, and the tadpoles drop into the pool on hatching.
It has spread across South-East Asia in the wake of human activity and turns up in gardens, rice fields and city drains, to the point that its original distribution is hard to reconstruct.
Several populations have become established outside its natural range through the ornamental plant trade, and on some Pacific islands it is regarded as introduced.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Gardens, rice fields, plantations and forest edges of southern and South-East Asia
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: Larval development in foam nests above the water
Litter / clutch size: 300 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polypedates_leucomystax