Choerophryne gunnari

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Choerophryne gunnari
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Microhylidae
Genus: Choerophryne
Species:
C. gunnari
Binomial name
Choerophryne gunnari
(Menzies  [ fr ], 1999)
Synonyms [2]

Albericus gunnariMenzies, 1999 [3]

Choerophryne gunnari is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. [1] [2] It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and is known from the area of its type locality in the Central Province, and from the western slopes of Mount Obree, also in the Central Province. [1]

Contents

Etymology

This species was originally described in the genus Albericus, [3] named for Alberich, the dwarf in Scandinavian mythology and Richard Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen . [3] [4] Menzies named the species he described after Alberich's companions in the mythodology. The specific name gunnari is derived from Gunnar. [3]

Description

Ten individuals in the type series measure 14.3–20.9 mm (0.56–0.82 in) in snout–urostyle length. The largest male was 16.4 mm (0.65 in) and a female was 21.2 mm (0.83 in) (reason for the discrepancy is unexplained). [3] Six of the types were examined later and found to be males, measuring 15.4–21.7 mm (0.61–0.85 in) in snout–vent length. [5] The dorsal surface has a large, dark hour-glass mark on a greyish background. The ventral ground colour is whitish, but the throat is dark in both males and females. The belly has a large, dark, intense blue blotch, and hind limbs are marked with blue blotches alternating between lighter and darker shades. This blue pigmentation is unique among all former Albericus species known at the time. [3]

The male advertisement call is said to lack "musical quality". It is a series of "clicks" emitted at a mean rate of 240 min–1. [3]

Habitat and conservation

Choerophryne gunnari is a poorly known species. It has been found in foothill rainforest and undisturbed forest at elevations of 450–800 m (1,480–2,620 ft) above sea level. It can be quite common in undisturbed habitat but does not seem to tolerate habitat modification. Logging is a threat to its habitat, although there should still be plenty of suitable habitat available. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Choerophryne</i> Genus of amphibians

Choerophryne is a genus of microhylid frogs, commonly known as Torricelli mountain frogs, endemic to New Guinea. These frogs are small, with the body length measured from snout to vent between 11 and 23 mm.

Nyctimystes persimilis, also known as the Milne big-eyed treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Pelodryadidae, also treated as the subfamily Pelodryadinae in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and known from Mount Dayman and Mount Simpson in the Owen Stanley Range.

<i>Choerophryne brunhildae</i> Species of frog

Choerophryne brunhildae is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and is known from the Adelbert Range, the Bewani Mountains, and the Hunstein Mountains.

Choerophryne darlingtoni is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and found in the New Guinea Highlands. The specific name darlingtoni honors P. Jackson Darlington Jr., an American evolutionary biologist and zoogeographer. Common name Darlington's rainforest frog has been coined for it.

Choerophryne exclamitans is a species of frogs in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and only known from two locations on the slopes of Mount Shungol in the Morobe Province. It might be more widely distributed.

Choerophryne fafniri is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and is only known from the north-western slopes of Mount Giluwe and south-east of Mount Hagen in the Southern Highlands Province.

Choerophryne gudrunae is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and is only known from its type locality near Kowat in the Adelbert Range, Madang Province.

Choerophryne laurini is a species of frogs in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Western New Guinea and known from the Wondiwoi Mountains, at the base of the Wandammen Peninsula. Common name Wandammen albericus frog has been suggested for it.

Choerophryne rhenaurum is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and is only known from its type locality, Moiyokabip in the upper Ok Tedi catchment in the Western Province.

Choerophryne sanguinopicta is a species of frogs in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to southeastern Papua New Guinea and only known from the vicinity of its type locality, the northern slope of Mt. Simpson in the Owen Stanley Range, Milne Bay Province, although it is expected to occur more widely. The specific name sanguinopictus, from Latin for sanguis ("blood") and pictus ("painted") refers to the distinctive red blotching and punctations characteristic for this species.

Choerophryne siegfriedi is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and is only known from its type locality, Mount Elimbari in the Simbu Province.

Choerophryne swanhildae is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and is known from the Hagen and Kubor ranges.

Choerophryne tubercula is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and known from scattered locations in the New Guinea Highlands. However, the species is likely to occur also in the Indonesian part of New Guinea. Common name warty rainforest ground frog has been coined for it.

Choerophryne valkuriarum is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to the eastern New Guinea in Papua New Guinea and is known from near Wau in the Ekuti Dividing Range south to Myola in the Owen Stanley Range. The nominal species might consist of more than one distinct species.

Choerophryne variegata is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to West Papua, Indonesia, and is only known with certainty from its type locality, Digul River. It is assumed that most records from elsewhere refer to other, possibly undescribed species. As the species is only known from one specimen from its vaguely stated type locality, its ecology is essentially unknown, although it is presumed to be a rainforest inhabitant. No other specimen has been collected anywhere near the type locality. Despite all this, vernacular name common rainforest frog has been coined for it.

Choerophryne allisoni is a tiny species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and only known from its type locality, Mount Sisa in the Southern Highlands Province. The specific name allisoni honours Allen Allison, an American herpetologist. Common name Allison's mountain frog has been coined for this species.

Oreophryne biroi is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to New Guinea and occurs on the north coast from Madang Province in Papua New Guinea to the Cyclops Mountains in Papua province, Western New Guinea (Indonesia). The specific name biroi honours Lajos Bíró, a Hungarian zoologist and ethnographer who collected the holotype. Common name New Guinea cross frog has been coined for it.

Choerophryne microps is a species of frogs in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Western New Guinea and known from the Wondiwoi Mountains, at the base of the Wandammen Peninsula. Common name small-eyed choerophryne has been suggested for it.

Choerophryne nigrescens is a species of frogs in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to the Papua Province, Indonesia, and is known from its type locality and two other localities on the island of Yapen, off the north-western coast of New Guinea, as well as from one record from Foja Mountains in New Guinea. Common name blackish choerophryne has been suggested for it.

Choerophryne grylloides is a small species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to the upper Sepik River basin in the northern side of the New Guinea Highlands in Papua New Guinea. The specific name grylloides, from Latin gryllus ("cricket") and Greek suffix -oides ("resembles"), alludes to its cricket-like, high-pitched advertisement call.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Choerophryne gunnari". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T57665A152548084. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T57665A152548084.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Choerophryne gunnari (Menzies, 1999)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Menzies, J. I. (1999). "A study of Albericus (Anura: Microhylidae) of New Guinea". Australian Journal of Zoology. 47 (4): 327–360. doi:10.1071/ZO99003.
  4. ↑ Burton, Thomas C.; Zweifel, Richard George (1995). "A new genus of genyophrynine microhylid frogs from New Guinea". American Museum Novitates (3129): 1–7. hdl:2246/3574.
  5. ↑ Kraus, F.; Allison, A. (2005). "A colorful new species of Albericus (Anura: Microhylidae) from southeastern Papua New Guinea" (PDF). Pacific Science. 59: 43–53. doi:10.1353/psc.2005.0008. hdl: 10125/24159 . S2CID   58911686.
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