Tuwa Flying Frog

The Tuwa flying frog is a Sulawesi-endemic tree frog named from Tuwa in west-central Celebes. It was once treated as a subspecies of the black-webbed flying frog, Rhacophorus nigropalmatus, but later work restored it as a full species. A recent revision compared its body form, measurements, genetic markers and advertisement calls with other Sulawesi Rhacophorus, helping to clarify an historically confused group (Amphibian Species of the World; Hamidy et al. 2025).

Its unusual breeding system uses rain-filled cavities in trees. Females attach foamy egg masses to the trunk just above the water, and hatching tadpoles drop into the cavity below. Reported masses contain 29–108 eggs and sit roughly 1–3 cm above the waterline. The original Tuwa locality has not been relocated in recent surveys, but the frog has also been documented on Buton, extending knowledge beyond the type area (Rhacophorus georgii general species account).