Predicting spatial distribution of Asian Horned Frog (Megophrys montana Kuhl & Van Hasselt 1882) in Java Island using citizen science’s data

Abstract

Citizen science is a tool that has been used globally to gather data on species, recently, this effort is gaining popularity in Indonesia. Asian horned frog (Megophrys montana) is an amphibian endemic to Java with a significant population declining due to forest or habitat losses. The purpose of this study is to analyze the suitability of the habitat and to estimate the potential habitat of Megophrys montana in Java using maximum entropy (maxent). Ninety-four coordinates data from iNaturalist, a citizen science app, were used in modeling along with altitude, slope, rainfall, distance from rivers, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and land cover categories. Megophrys montana habitat suitability model produced an excellent accuracy with an AUC value of 0.962. Altitude, rainfall, and slope were the most important environmental variables that affect the suitability of the species habitats. The characteristics of Megophrys montana habitat in Java are mountainous forest, wet rainfall, primary or secondary forest with steep slopes, and near to the rivers. West Java and Banten are provinces with the most suitable areas for their habitat, especially within the conservation areas, i.e. Mount Halimun Salak and Mount Gede Pangrango National Park.