Yaeyama Narrow-Mouthed Toad

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

2024/10/14 石垣島
2016/1/1 石垣島
2025/7/5 石垣島