Amolops ricketti explained

Amolops ricketti (Chinese sucker frog or South China torrent frog) is a species of frog in the family Ranidae that is found in southern and eastern China and northern and central montane Vietnam.

George Albert Boulenger described Amolops ricketti based on two specimens collected by Irish ornithologist John D. La Touche in Guadun village in Wuyishan, Fujian, China. The specific name honours Mr. C. B. Rickett,^[1] a British ornithologist active in China.^[2]

Amolops ricketti is a small frog, males measuring about 56mm and females about 58mm in snout-vent length. Tadpoles are about 36mm in length.^[3] Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and rivers. It is not considered threatened by the IUCN.

Antimicrobial peptides that are candidates for developing novel anti-infection agents can be extracted from the skin secretions of Amolops ricketti.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Boulenger. George A.. 1899. On a collection of reptiles and batrachians made by Mr. J. D. La Touche in N.W. Fokien, China. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1899. 159–172.
2. Kinnear . N. B. . Mr. C. B. Rickett . 10.1038/153677b0 . Nature . 153 . 3892 . 677 . 1944 . 1944Natur.153..677K . free .
3. Book: Fei, L. . Atlas of Amphibians of China . 1999 . Henan Press of Science and Technology . Zhengzhou . zh . 7-5349-1835-9 . 242.
4. Wang . H. . Ran . R. . Yu . H. . Yu . Z. . Hu . Y. . Zheng . H. . Wang . D. . Yang . F. . Liu . R. . Liu . J. . 10.1016/j.peptides.2011.10.030 . Identification and characterization of antimicrobial peptides from skin of Amolops ricketti (Anura: Ranidae) . Peptides . 33 . 1 . 27–34 . 2012 . 22100518. 23572722 .