The four-lined tree frog is the commonest arboreal amphibian in South-East Asia. It is characterised by large and flattened sticky pads at the tips of the digits. This frog lays its eggs in a foamy nest suspended above a body of water. The tadpoles are washed into the water body below and the nest disintegrates when rain falls.
It is nocturnal and feed on plant and animal materials. Adults feed on a variety of insects like beetles, crickets and grasshoppers. Adults are also known to take small geckos. Tadpoles feed on live and dead tadpoles and any organism it can catch. Even decomposing plant materials are consumed.
Tadpoles are preyed on by dragonfly and damselfly nymphs which are carnivorous. Adults are predated on by birds, snakes and lizards.
All photographs © Soh Kam Yung.
Below is a post on the Facebook of Soh Kam Yung.
A Four-Lined Tree Frog (Polypedates leucomystax) spotted resting on a big Taro leaf (I believe) at Ulu Sembawang Park Connector on 27 Dec 2021. It let us get close to get these shots.
On iNaturalist [ https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/103748033 ]
References:
- A guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Singapore by Kelvin KP Lim and Francis LK Lim ©1992
- Biodiversity of Singapore: An encyclopedia of the Natural Environment and Sustainable Development © 2011 Edited by: Peter KL Ng, Richard T. Corlett and Hugh T. W. Tan
- https://wiki.nus.edu.sg/display/TAX/Polypedates+leucomystax+-+Four-lined+Tree+Frog
4. https://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/amphibians/four-lined-tree_frog.htm
Article by Teo Lee Wei
