Choerophryne valkuriarum

Last updated

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

Albericus valkuriarumMenzies, 1999 [3]

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. [1] [2] The nominal species might consist of more than one distinct species. [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 Albericus species he described after Alberich's companions in the mythodology, in this case the valkyries. [3]

Description

Choerophryne valkuriarum is similar to other former Albericus, although it is smaller than most others: the specimens in the type series measure 14–20 mm (0.55–0.79 in) in snout–urostyle length. [3] Their sex was originally unspecified but later examination has shown all of them to be males. [5] The limbs are relatively short. Some specimens have a mid-dorsal line or lumbar ocelli. [3]

The male advertisement call consists of single "clicks", uttered once or in irregular series with rates up to 120 notes per minute. The call has no musical quality. [3]

Habitat and conservation

Choerophryne valkuriarum occurs in mid-montane rainforest and on the forest edge at elevations of 2,000–2,930 m (6,560–9,610 ft) above sea level. It has been found in a few rural gardens but does not tolerate severe habitat degradation. Development is presumably direct; [1] i.e., there is no free-living larval stage. [6]

This species is very abundant but can be locally threatened by habitat degradation. It occurs in the Mount Kaindi Wildlife Management Area. [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 gunnari is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. 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.

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 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.

<i>Callulops robustus</i> Species of amphibian

Callulops robustus is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It has traditionally been considered as wide-ranging species found in both Western New Guinea (Indonesia) and Papua New Guinea. However, it is likely that specimens from the type locality, Misima Island, and New Guinea represent different species. If so, name Callulops robustus belongs to the Misima Island species, and the mainland species is unnamed. Other island populations may or may not belong to Callulops robustus. Callulops microtis from the mainland has already been removed from synonymy with Callulops robustus.

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.

Cophixalus riparius is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and occurs in the New Guinea Highlands in Madang, Southern Highlands, and Western Highlands provinces southeastward to the Morobe Province. The specific name riparius refers to the creek-side habitat from which many specimens in the type series were collected. Common name Wilhelm rainforest 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 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 5 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Choerophryne valkuriarum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T57671A152548390. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T57671A152548390.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Choerophryne valkuriarum (Menzies, 1999)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  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 G. (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.
  6. ↑ Vitt, Laurie J. & Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. p. 166.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.