| Philautus nepenthophilus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Rhacophoridae |
| Genus: | Philautus |
| Species: | P. nepenthophilus |
| Binomial name | |
| Philautus nepenthophilus Etter, Haas, Lee, Min, Das & Hertwig, 2021 | |
Philautus nepenthophilus is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to Malaysia.
Naming
Nepenthophilus is composed of the word "nepenthes", referring to the genus of pitcher plants Nepenthes, more specifically Nepenthes mollis because they have a symbiotic relationship to these plants, while "philus" is a word from the Ancient Greek "φίλος" meaning "friend".[1]
Lifestyle
The frog prefers to live in tropical pitcher plants. They mainly live in symbiosis with Nepenthes mollis. The frog lays eggs inside the plant, the tadpoles only feed on the nutrients in their intestines, that's why their tadpoles only have a small mouth with no teeth. Both partners get an advantage: The frog gets shelter while the pitcher plant gets nutrients by the excretions of the tadpole. Even the adult frogs stay near the pitcher plants most of the time. The frog doesn't get hurt by the enzymes of the plant, the mechanism behind that is not completely understood.[2][3]
References
- "Please verify". amphibiaweb.org. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- "Neue Froschart entdeckt - Kannenpflanzliebhaber aus Borneo | Naturhistorisches Museum Bern". www.nmbe.ch (in German). 2021-07-15. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- Etter, Laurence; Haas, Alexander; Lee, Chien C.; Min, Pui Yong; Das, Indraneil; Hertwig, Stefan T. (2021-07-01). "Out of the trap: A new phytothelm-breeding species of Philautus and an updated phylogeny of Bornean bush frogs (Anura: Rhacophoridae)". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 59 (5): 1064–1096. doi:10.1111/jzs.12465. ISSN 1439-0469.