Species information
Scientific name: Microhyla kuramotoi
Japanese name: ヤエヤマヒメアマガエル
Chinese name: 八重山姬蛙、八重山小雨蛙
English name: Yaeyama narrow-mouthed toad
Origin: Yaeyama Islands
Ecology and description
The Yaeyama narrow-mouthed toad was previously considered to be the Okinawajima narrow-mouthed toad (M. okinavensis). However, a 2020 phylogenetic study further separated the population in the Yaeyama Islands as a distinct species, M. kuramotoi, which is slightly larger in body size than M. okinavensis.
Narrow-mouthed toads typically breed from spring to summer (March–August), but the book Okinawa no Kaeru mentions that the Yaeyama narrow-mouthed toad also breeds in winter.
Reference
Matsui, Masafumi, and Atsushi Tominaga. “Distinct Species Status of a Microhyla from the Yaeyama Group of the Southern Ryukyus, Japan (Amphibia, Anura, Microhylidae).” Current Herpetology, vol. 39, no. 2, Aug. 2020, pp. 120–136. doi:10.5358/hsj.39.120
Field videos recorded during our tours
This species has been observed multiple times during our 【Other Islands】 tours to Iriomotejima and Ishigakijima. Tadpoles of this species can also often be seen in water-filled ditches.
