User:Qazwsx1515/Rhacophorus kio

Rhacophorus kio is a species of flying frog in the family Rhacophoridae and is found in the rainforests of southeast Asia such as in China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its ability to glide and its adhesive toe pads make it well adapted to its habitat of the rainforest. Before a 2006 study by Annemarie Ohler and Magali Delorme, Rhacophorus kio  and Rhacophorus reinwardtii were thought to be the same species. Compared to other frog species in the area, Rhacophorus kio not only creates a foam nest that holds their eggs, Rhacophorus will also create a structure with leaves that will wrap around the eggs. While the conservation status of the species is currently classified as least concerned, Rhacophorus kio faces habitat loss from deforestation to make space for agriculture and other human influences. The common name black-webbed treefrog can refer to either species.

Description
The tadpole of Rhacophorus kio have are a light olive color with a white colored abdomen. The fins of the tadpole are mainly colorless with the edges near the tail being a lighter grey color. The body of the tadpole is shaped like an oval reaching the widest around the gill area, with a rounded snout. In its final stages of development, the tadpole will be around 43 – 52 mm in size.

The size of the adult frog is between 58 – 79 mm which is much larger than Rhacophorus reinwardtii serving as a way to tell the difference between the two species.

The dorsal side of Rhacophorus kio is grass green in color with some sections that are a darker green while its sides are a dark brown color. The dorsal side of the frog is marked with white spots while it’s the side is marked with yellow spots. The ventral side of the frog is yellow in color. The thigh of Rhacophorus kio is grass green with the posterior part an orange yellow color. There is a distinct and large black spot that can be clearly seen near the armpit region. Both the toes and fingers of Rhacophorus kio are webbed and are an orange yellow color. There is also a black spot in between each of the toes and fingers.

Differences between Rhacophorus kio and Rhacophorus reinwardtii
Prior to 2006, both Rhacophorus kio and Rhacophorus reinwardtii were thought to be the same species. This is attributed to the to how difficult the species is to detect during its normal life outside of breeding, and the relatively small breeding populations of Rhacophorus kio. These characteristics lead to the rarity of the frog species in museum collections, and in turn, less information about these frog species causing these two different species to be classified as one.

Compared to Rhacophorus reinwardtii, Rhacophorus kio are larger in size with a greater snout vent length. However, Rhacophorus kio have both a narrower and shorter head size. Rhacophorus kio also have smaller sized toe pads. One of the distinguishing characteristics between the two species is the differences in the webbing. For Rhacophorus kio, the longitudinal lines on the webbing are orange and yellow in color while for Rhacophorus reinwardtii, these longitudinal lines are a bluish white color. On top of this, the black spot on the webbing for Rhacophorus kio is only at the base of the webbing. However, for Rhacophorus reinwardtii, the black coloration extends all the way from the base to the edges of the webbing.

Habitat
Rhacophorus kio are native to the trees of the rainforests in south-east Asia. Rhacophorus kio are found between the elevations of 200 m to 1,800 m. They live in the closed- canopy of primary and secondary evergreen rainforests. Rhacophorus kio have been observed at a height of 57 m in Southwest China. This is surprising as they are usually found in the cover of the canopy which offers protection from the weather and predators instead of near the top of the canopy which is more dry and less suitable for amphibians. Researchers suspect that they were found at the top of the canopy due to the presence of insects and other potential food sources found at that height.

Even though the distribution of the species is all over south-east Asia, much of the area is not favorable as the hills and mountains are not good breeding locations for these frogs. Instead, Rhacophorus kio depend on undisturbed canopies, marshes, and ponds of primary rainforest which is threatened due to the continued deforestation in Asia.

Distribution
Rhacophorus kio is native to the rainforests of south-east Asia. Rhacophorus kio can be found in China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. In China it can be found in Guangdong and the Yunnan Province. In Laos, it can be found in the Bokeo province, Khammouan province, and the Phongsaly province. In Thailand, it can be found in the Chiang Mai Province, and the Tak Province. In Vietnam, it can be found in the Gia Lai Province, the Ha Tinh Province, the Lao Cai Province, the Quang Binh province, and the Than Hoa Province.

Conservation
As of the April of 2017, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has Rhacophorus kio in the category of least concern, even though the population is severely fragmented. There have been sightings of up to 10 males near breeding locations suggesting that while there are some locations where the subpopulation of Rhacophorus kio are small, there are still locations with larger subpopulations. Currently, the habitat of Rhacophorus kio face the greatest threat from deforestation due to agriculture and is affected to a smaller degree by the disturbances to breeding pools caused by pollution.

Currently, some of the areas that Rhacophorus kio are found is under protection. Such locations the Nam Lan Forest Conservation Area, the Doi Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary, Ben En National Park, and Thuong Tien Nature Reserve. More research needs to be done to show just how much of the habitat and breeding sites of Rhacophorus kio are under protection, the range and population of the species, and also to what extent certain threats are affecting the habitat of Rhacophorus kio. This information will allow better informed conservation decisions to be made.

Reproduction
Reproduction has been observed to occur around April to July where male Rhacophorus kio will call from the tree canopy above breeding pools to attract mates. During amplexus, the female will release her eggs and mucus while the male will release sperm. Both the male and female will kick their hindlegs creating a sticky foam from the eggs, mucus, and sperm. After the creation of this foam, the male will leave. The female will then use her hindlegs to pull in nearby leaves and then wrap the foam with these leaves and her body and hold this position for about two minutes. Then, the female would repeat this process 3 times with more nearby leaves, eventually creating an ellipsoid covering the clutch. After holding the completed structure for 20 minutes, the female will then leave the eggs, eventually with the foam hardening into a crust. After the eggs turn into embryos and mature, the hatchlings will drop from the structure and into the pool where they will continue the rest of their development to adults.

The eggs of Rhacophorus kio are often preyed upon by the larva of Caiusa, a genera of Calliphoridae which infest the egg masses of many species of frogs in the area. The leafy structures of Rhacophorus kio are used to hide their eggs from danger.

Arboreal Locomotion
Rhacophorus kio have evolved many adaptations to live in their environment of the tree canopy. One of these adaptations is in the hands of this species. They have flexible hands and a knob on their third finger that better allows them to grasp onto the tree surfaces. Rhacophorus kio also have adhesive toe pads that allow them to adhere to the wet tree surfaces in the rainforest using friction.

Rhacophorus kio have the ability to glide to navigate the tree canopies they live in. This gliding ability is due to the webbing in between their appendages on both their hands and feet. When falling, Rhacophorus kio will extend the webbing on both their hands and feet allowing them to glide from trees.

These adaptations reduce the risk of falling and may also play a role in avoiding predation and foraging for food, allowing Rhacophorus kio to fill a niche in the upper canopy of the rainforest.