The spotted narrow-mouthed frog

A spotted narrow-mouthed frog is seen in Songgang Park in Bao'an District on June 1, 2022. 

The spotted narrow-mouthed frog

One of the most beautiful and coolest frogs we can find in Shenzhen is the spotted narrow-mouthed frog (Kalophrynus interlineatus), a nearly 5-cm-long amphibian with a peculiar pointy snout and a characteristic triangular shape. It has a yellowish brown body fully decorated by beautiful dark stripes or spots on the back and a yellow line under each eye.

在深圳的本土蛙类中，花细狭口蛙颜值高，模样能给人留下深刻印象：它们身长约5厘米，吻部尖而突出，总体呈三角形，很容易辨认；体色棕黄，背部具显眼的深色纵纹及斑点，双眼下各有一条黄色纹路。

A spotted narrow-mouthed frog in Songgang Park

One of the most remarkable characteristics of this particular frog is their ability to secrete a sticky toxic fluid through their skin. They use their legs to spread the fluid as a defense mechanism against possible predators, as it makes them a bit disgusting to eat.

这种蛙类最显著的特征之一是具毒腺。它们通过皮肤分泌毒液，必要时可用发达的后腿把毒液甩向捕食者，驱赶来犯之敌。而且，全身包裹着毒液的花细狭口蛙看起来也并不美味。

Because of this, the spotted narrow-mouthed frog is known in some regions as the striped sticky frog. It can be found in forests and grasslands in countries like Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand in addition to South China, where they feed mainly on ants and other small insects.

因此，有些地区也会用“条纹粘液蛙”来指代花细狭口蛙。它们主要分布于中国华南地区及越南、缅甸、泰国等东南亚国家，喜欢栖息在森林、草丛等植被茂密之地，以蚂蚁等小型昆虫为食。

A spotted narrow-mouthed frog in Songgang Park in Bao'an District on May 20, 2022.

Their breeding season lasts from April to August, when they lay thousands of eggs in seasonal ponds during the rainy season. It’s extremely important to protect their habitats and to prevent abrupt changes in the topography of the places they inhabit in order to keep their life cycles stable, so that they can keep us company season after season for many years to come!

花细狭口蛙每年4月至8月繁殖，常在雨季产卵于小水坑、池塘等低洼积水中，每次产卵可达千枚。由于气候与地面景观的急剧变化会对它们的生命周期产生巨大的影响，因此我们更要保护好它们的栖息地，让它们继续做我们人类的好邻居。