Short-legged horned toad

Xenophrys brachykolos
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Megophryidae
Genus:	Xenophrys
Species:	X. brachykolos
Binomial name
Xenophrys brachykolos (Inger & Romer, 1961)
Synonyms
Megophrys brachykolos Inger and Romer, 1961 Megophrys minor brachykolos

The short-legged horned toad or Peak spadefoot toad (Xenophrys brachykolos) is a frog native to southern China and Vietnam.^[2] It was first discovered in the Victoria Peak (locally known as The Peak), Hong Kong.^[3] Many populations of Hong Kong are in the country parks, such as Lung Fu Shan Country Park.^[4]

Taxonomy and distribution

Whether Xenophrys brachykolos is a valid species or a mere subspecies of Xenophrys minor has been questioned, but molecular genetic evidence now supports its species status. Recent research has also shown that the species has a wider distribution than assumed before.^[2] At the time of the IUCN assessment in 2004, the species was hardly known outside Hong Kong and it was considered to be an endangered species.^[1] Reflecting the distribution now known to be much wider, the conservation status of Xenophrys brachykolos is likely to change when the assessment is updated.

Description

Tadpole of Xenophrys brachykolos

Xenophrys brachykolos are relatively small but robust frogs. Males have a snout-vent length of 34–40 mm (1.3–1.6 in) and females 40–48 mm (1.6–1.9 in). They have a strongly projecting snout and a small horn-like tubercle at the edge of the upper eyelid (the "horn" of a "horned toad").^[3]

References

1. 1 2 Michael Wai Neng Lau, Zhao Ermi, Annemarie Ohler, Peter Paul van Dijk (2004). "Xenophrys brachykolos". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 7 January 2013. 
2. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. (2013). "Xenophrys brachykolos (Inger and Romer, 1961)". Amphibian Species of the World 5.6, an Online Reference. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 21 September 2013. 
3. 1 2 Inger, Robert F.; Romer, J. D. (1961). "A new pelobatid frog of the genus Megophrys from Hong Kong". Fieldiana Zoology 39: 533–538. 
4. ↑ Sung, Yik Hei (2006). "Night safaris in Lung Fu Shan Country Park, Hong Kong". Porcupine! (Department of Ecology and Biodiversity, HKU) 34 (September 2006): 16–17. Retrieved 7 January 2013.