Metaphrynella sundana
Silhouette: Dmitry Bogdanov (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Metaphrynella sundana (Borneo treefrog or Bornean tree hole frog) is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Borneo and found in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Metaphrynella sundana are small frogs; adults measure up to about 25 mm (0.98 in) in snout–vent length. The body is stocky and the limbs are moderately short. Skin has rounded tubercles that are larger on the sides. Colouration and texture show considerable variation.
The male has a median subgular vocal sac. Males call at night from tree holes that are about 1–5 m (3 ft 3 in – 16 ft 5 in) meters above the ground. Males are able to adjust their call to the resonance frequency of the tree hole they call from.
The species' natural habitats are lowland primary rainforests to about 700 m (2,300 ft) asl. It is a common frog in primary and secondary rainforests. Reproduction takes place in tree holes with water. It is threatened by habitat loss from clear-cutting.
Sound recordings of Metaphrynella sundana at BioAcoustica Wikipedia →
Uncertain0:23
Malaysia · 2025
© Nick Talbot · XC1036442 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Advertisement call1:13
Malaysia · 2019
© Marc Anderson · XC883115 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Recording0:23
Malaysia · 2024
© phrynosoma13 · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Tree Hole Frog sighting in Kinabalu Park on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 19th most-seen of the 40 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, September and November
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Tree Hole Frog in Kinabalu Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, the lowest month.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tree Hole Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Tree Hole Frog sightings, Kinabalu Park ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Danum Valley Conservation Area (Malaysia, about 30%).
Same family: Microhylidae
The closest relatives of the Tree Hole Frog that you can see in Kinabalu Park (family Microhylidae, Narrow-mouthed Frogs) are Kinabalu Sticky Frog (about 40%), Yellow-spotted Narrow-mouthed Frog (about 40%) and Bornean Sticky Frog (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tree Hole Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Kinabalu Park (30 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
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