Fejervarya limnocharis (Gravenhorst, 1829)

Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P., 2023, Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution, Zootaxa 5287 (1), pp. 1-378 : 30-32

Fejervarya limnocharis (Gravenhorst, 1829) — Native.

Rana limnocharis Gravenhorst, 1829: 42 . Neotype: RMNH.RENA.4287, designated by Dubois & Ohler (2000: 27); type material presumably originally at Breslau Museum (= MNHUW] apparently lost. Type locality: None stated/traced; later designated as “ Java ”, Indonesia via neotype designation .

Field Frog ( Figure 4F ; Admiralty Park)

Singapore records.

Rana limnocharis — Flower, 1896: 902 (Tanglin [= TF]).— Hanitsch, 1898: 8.—Ferguson, 1904: 501.— Hanitsch, 1908: 47.— Hanitsch, 1912b: 18.—Romer, 1949: 45.— Berry, 1964: 227–243 (Botanic Gardens).—D.S. Johnson, 1964: 28.— Berry, 1965: 163–174 (Botanic Gardens).—Inger & Bacon, 1968: 602.—S.H. Lee & T.W. Chen, 1970: 59 (Jurong).—D.S. Johnson, 1973a: 117.— Elliott & Karunakaran, 1974: 203–215.—J.S. Sullivan & J.J. Sullivan, 1976: 494.—K. Lim, 1988b: 6 (MacRitchie Reservoir [MR]).—K. Lim, 1988f: 78 (Sime Road [SRF]).—K. Lim, 1989a: 5 (Bukit Timah Turf Club).—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 56.—K.K.P. Lim & C.M. Yang, 1991: 223, 224 (Fort Canning; Kent Ridge [NUS]; Nee Soon Swamp Forest; Peirce Reservoir).— Corlett, 1992: 418.—D.S. Johnson, 1992: 39.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 33, 144.—K.K.P. Lim & Subharaj, 1992: 9 (Tuas).—P.K.L. Ng, 1992a: 139.—P.K.L. Ng, 1992b: 138.—Wee, 1992: 73 (Lower Peirce Reservoir).—Zhao & Adler, 1993: 144.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 93.—R. Subaraj, 1994: 15 (Nee Soon Swamp Forest).—R. Subaraj, 1995: 36 (Pulau Ubin).—R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 399.—T.M. Leong & L.M. Chou, 1999: 109–110.—E.K. Chua, 2002: 13 (Pulau Ubin).— Anonymous, 2003: 32, 93 (Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve).

Rana limnocharis limnocharis — Inger, 1966: 205, 206.— Grandison, 1972: 66.

Fejervarya limnocharis —B.P.L. Goh et al., 2002: 139.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 144.— Das & Haas, 2005: 379.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 56, 158.—M.F.C. Ng, 2009: 59, 109 (Semakau Landfill [PS]).—M.A.H. Chua, 2011: 279 (Semakau Landfill [PS]).—T.M. Leong, 2011: 22.— Ang et al., 2012: 48 (Hort Park).—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 56, 158.— Gilbert et al., 2012: 393.—M.F.C. Ng, 2012: 69, 146.—T.H. Ng & D.C.J. Yeo, 2012: 100.—R. Subaraj, 2015: 52, 54, 56 (Mandai Range Forest; Night Safari; Project Western Boundary [= MBP]; Stephen Lee Woods [= RPN]).— S. Subaraj, 2015: 4, 5, 7 (Mandai Range Forest; Night Safari; Project Western Boundary [= MBP]; Stephen Lee Woods [= RPN]).—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2016: 172, 174 (Pulau Tekong).—A. Tay et al., 2017: 103, 104 (Clementi Woods).—S.M. Chong et al., 2018: 253.—H.C. Ho et al., 2019: 124, 125 (Alexandra Woodlands; Clementi Forest).—H.T.W. Tan et al., 2019: 132 (Kent Ridge Park; National University of Singapore Kent Ridge Campus).—R.C.H. Teo & Thomas, 2019: 151, 179 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).

Limnonectes limnocharis —Chan-ard et al., 1999: 16.—T.M. Leong, 2000: 8.

Fejervarya sp. —B.C. Ng, 2021: 137 (Pang Sua Woodland).

Remarks. Described by Hanitsch (1908) as being Singapore’s most common frog, alongside Hylarana erythraea, Flower (1896) first reported F. limnocharis from Singapore from numerous individuals he observed at Tanglin. Afterwards, not much was published regarding F. limnocharis , and for 14 years between Romer (1949) and Berry (1963) it went unreported ( Table 2 ). Much like F. cancrivora , there are specimens of F. limnocharis from the 1950s at BPBM, FMNH, and NHMUK.

Occurrence. Ubiquitous. Common.

Singapore conservation status. Least Concern.

Conservation priority. Lowest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2004].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality) : BMNH 1896.6.25.66–70 (no date), BMNH 1896.6 .25.71 (no date) , BMNH 1956.1 .9.42 (no date); Bukit Kalang [ SRF] : ZRC.1.11350 (Aug-2004) ; Commonwealth Drive Park : ZRC.1.3517 (07-Sep-1981) ; Fort Canning : ZRC.1.692 (09-Mar-1896) ; Jurong Road: ZRC.1.3373– ZRC.1.3374, ZRC.1.3376 (Aug-1996) ; Kent Ridge [ NUS] : ZRC.1.1330 (30- Oct-1975) , ZRC.1.3516 (25-Aug-1981) ; Mandai Orchid Garden [= MBP] : ZRC.1.12562 (17-May-2006) ; Nee Soon Swamp Forest : ZRC.1.1785 (30-Mar-1990) , ZRC.1.4218 (16-Jan-1996) , ZRC.1.4423 (no date); Peirce Reservoir : ZRC.1.1458– ZRC.1.1461 (09-Dec-1974) ; Pulau Tekong: ZRC.1.9062– ZRC.1.9064 (31-Oct-2001) , ZRC.1.11287– ZRC.1.11288 (28-Nov-2001) , ZRC.1.3375 (Aug-1996) , ZRC.1.9067 (16- Nov-2001) , ZRC.1.12492 (29-Sep-2012) , ZRC.1.9249 (31-Jan-2002) ; Sime Road Forest : ZRC.1.1767 (24-Dec-1989) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): FMNH, KU, ROM, SAMA, ZFMK ; Botanic Gardens: BPBM; Eng Neo Avenue: BPBM; Jurong: CAS; Jurong Prawn Ponds: BPBM; Mandai Road: CAS; Nee Soon Rifle Range [= NSSF]: BPBM; University of Malaya [= NUS Bukit Timah]: BPBM; University of Singapore Campus [= NUS Bukit Timah]: BPBM.

Singapore localities. Admiralty Park—Alexandra Woodlands—Bukit Timah Nature Reserve—Bukit Timah Turf Club—Clementi Forest—Clementi Woods—Commonwealth Drive Park—Eng Neo Avenue Forest—Fort Canning—Hort Park—Jurong—Jurong Prawn Ponds—Jurong Road—Kent Ridge Park—Lower Peirce— MacRitchie Reservoir—Mandai Bird Park—Mandai Range Forest—National University of Singapore Bukit Timah Campus—National University of Singapore Kent Ridge Campus—Nee Soon Swamp Forest—Night Safari—Pang Sua Woodland—Peirce Reservoir (not specified)—Pulau Semakau—Pulau Tekong—Pulau Ubin—Rainforest Park North—Sime Road Forest—Singapore Botanic Gardens—Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve—Tyersall Forest—Tuas.

Genus Limnonectes Fitzinger, 1843 (4 species)

Rana (Limnonectes) Fitzinger, 1843: 31 (type species: Rana kuhlii Tschudi, 1838 , by original designation; gender masculine).

Figures

FIGURE 4. A) Ichthyophis paucisulcus, B) Duttaphrynus bengalensis, C) Ingerophrynus quadriporcatus, D) Pelophryne ingeri, E) Fejervarya cancrivora, F) Fejervarya limnocharis, G) Limnonectes blythii, and H) Limnonectes malesianus. Photographs by: Cai Yixiong [A], Alex Figueroa [B, D–H], and Kelvin K.P. Lim [C].