Green burrowing frog

Description

Scaphiophryne marmorata is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae.It is commonly known as the green burrowing frog and the marbled rain frog.It is endemic to Madagascar.It is classified as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN as it is threatened by habitat loss.The female green burrowing frog grows to a length of about 40 millimetres (1.6 in) but the male is smaller at 30 millimetres (1.2 in).It is nearly globular in shape with a small,flattened head,short snout,prominent eyes and well muscled limbs.The skin of the back is mostly smooth but there are two symmetrical pairs of thorny tubercles on the upper back.The digits on both fore and hind limbs are elongated which helps the frog to clamber around in trees and bushes.There are expanded discs at the end of the fingers which is a distinctive feature of this species.The hind limbs are short with bony flanges on the heels to help with digging.The colour is a bright green liberally spotted with darker green and black patches.In the western part of its range the colour is more olive.The underside is often marbled with white.