Cophixalus petrophilus

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Cophixalus petrophilus
Cophixalus petrophilus male.jpg
Male Cophixalus petrophilus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Microhylidae
Genus: Cophixalus
Species:C. petrophilus
Binomial name
Cophixalus petrophilus
Hoskin, 2013 [1]

Cophixalus petrophilus, the blotched boulder-frog, is a species of frogs from the Cape York Peninsula (Queensland, Australia) that was described in 2013. [2] [1] It is one of three newly described vertebrate species from Cape Melville, Australia, the other two being skink Saproscincus saltus and gecko Saltuarius eximius . [1] [3] [4] The specific name petrophilus means "rock-loving" and refers to restriction of this species to boulder field habitats. [1]

Frog Member of an order of vertebrates belonging to the amphibians, and comprising largely carnivorous, short-bodied, and tailless animals

A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura. The oldest fossil "proto-frog" appeared in the early Triassic of Madagascar, but molecular clock dating suggests their origins may extend further back to the Permian, 265 million years ago. Frogs are widely distributed, ranging from the tropics to subarctic regions, but the greatest concentration of species diversity is in tropical rainforests. There are approximately 4,800 recorded species, accounting for over 85% of extant amphibian species. They are also one of the five most diverse vertebrate orders. Warty frog species tend to be called toads, but the distinction between frogs and toads is informal, not from taxonomy or evolutionary history.

Cape York Peninsula peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia

Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia. The land is mostly flat and about half of the area is used for grazing cattle. The relatively undisturbed eucalyptus-wooded savannahs, tropical rainforests and other types of habitat are now recognized and preserved for their global environmental significance, but native wildlife is threatened by introduced species and weeds. In 1606, Dutch sailor Willem Jansz explored Australia as first European explorer on Cape York Peninsula.

Queensland North-east state of Australia

Queensland is the second-largest and third-most populous state in the Commonwealth of Australia. Situated in the north-east of the country, it is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. To its north is the Torres Strait, with Papua New Guinea located less than 200 km across it from the mainland. The state is the world's sixth-largest sub-national entity, with an area of 1,852,642 square kilometres (715,309 sq mi).

Contents

Description

Cophixalus petrophilus female Cophixalus petrophilus female.jpg
Cophixalus petrophilus female

Adult males measure 26–28 mm (1.0–1.1 in) and adult females 31–32 mm (1.2–1.3 in) in snout–vent length. The head is narrower than the body. The snout is blunt to projecting in profile. The tympanum is comparatively large but indistinct to moderately distinct, bordered by the supra-tympanic fold. The limbs are relatively long. The fingers and toes have no webbing. Fingers II–IV have large, truncated discs. The toe discs are also enlarged but smaller than those of the fingers. Skin is smooth but has some scattered, fine tubercles on the dorsum. Dorsal colouration is creamy yellow with dark brown blotching, which is paler in females than in males. The markings include a prominent W-mark on the shoulders and a bar between the eyes. A dark horizontal line runs through the iris. The ventral surfaces are uniformly white or pinkish grey; the throat is white. [1]

Tympanum (anatomy) external hearing structure in animals

The tympanum is an external hearing structure in animals such as mammals, birds, some reptiles, some amphibians and some insects.

Iris (anatomy) part of an eye

In humans and most mammals and birds, the iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupil and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. Eye color is defined by that of the iris. In optical terms, the pupil is the eye's aperture, while the iris is the diaphragm.

Reproduction

The male advertisement call is a fairly short, medium-paced, low-pitched rattle (dominant frequency about 1300 Hz). [1]

Reproduction has not been observed, but this species is likely to lay its eggs in moist rock cracks, as known for closely related species Cophixalus saxatilis . [1] The development is likely direct, with the tadpoles developing within the eggs while being guarded by the male, emerging as fully formed froglets when they hatch out. [1] [4]

Tadpole larva of amphibians

A tadpole is the larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly that of a frog or toad. They are usually wholly aquatic, though some species have tadpoles that are terrestrial. When first hatched from the egg they have a more or less globular body, a laterally compressed tail and internal or external gills. As they grow they undergo metamorphosis, during which process they grow limbs, develop lungs and reabsorb the tail. Most tadpoles are herbivorous and during metamorphosis the mouth and internal organs are rearranged to prepare for an adult carnivorous lifestyle.

Habitat

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Cophixalus petrophilus is restricted to the boulder fields of Cape Melville

Cophixalus petrophilus is restricted to granite boulder fields that are largely devoid of vegetation and is known from two sites a few kilometers apart on the Melville Range at elevations of 120 and 470 m (390 and 1,540 ft) above sea level. It is sympatric with Cophixalus zweifeli , but the latter is associated with boulders under or near rainforest, instead of more purely rocky habitats. Cophixalus petrophilus were observed to be active at night after or during rains, sitting on surface boulders of very deeply piled boulder fields. The holotype male was calling from inside the boulder layers. [1]

<i>Cophixalus zweifeli</i> species of amphibian

Cophixalus zweifeli is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to northern Queensland, Australia, and only known from the area of its type locality in the Cape Melville National Park. The species was named to honour American herpetologist Richard G. Zweifel. Common name Zweifel's frog has been coined for it. It is one of the five northeast Australian Cophixalus species that are specialized in boulder field habitats.

Holotype single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described

A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype. Under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), a holotype is one of several kinds of name-bearing types. In the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN) and ICZN the definitions of types are similar in intent but not identical in terminology or underlying concept.

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<i>Cophixalus bewaniensis</i> species of amphibian

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<i>Cophixalus nubicola</i> species of amphibian

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Black Mountain boulder frog species of amphibian

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<i>Cophixalus tagulensis</i> species of amphibian

Cophixalus tagulensis is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and only known from the Tagula Island in the Louisiade Archipelago, east of New Guinea. It is only known from the type series of three specimens collected in 1956.

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Cape Melville leaf-tailed gecko species of reptile

The Cape Melville leaf-tailed gecko is a species of geckos that is endemic to the Melville Range on Cape Melville in Northern Australia. The species was described in 2013 by Australian zoologists Conrad Hoskin and Patrick J. Couper. The lizards are about 20 cm (7.9 in) long and are believed to be a relic species from the time period rainforests were more abundant in Australia. The name derives from the Latin word for "extraordinary" or "exquisite", and refers to the lizard's distinctive, camouflaged appearance. It hides among rocky boulders in the day and emerges at night to hunt on rocks and trees. The lizard has large eyes, a long and slender body, and specialized limbs adapted to life in dimly lit boulder fields.

The Cape Melville shade skink is a species of lizards from the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, Australia, described in 2013. It was one of three vertebrates discovered by scientists from James Cook University and National Geographic in an area of mountain rainforest in North Queensland. The lizards are active by day, running and jumping through the mossy boulder fields of Northern Queensland.

Boulder frog may refer to:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hoskin, Conrad J. (2013). "A new frog species (Microhylidae: Cophixalus) from boulder-pile habitat of Cape Melville, north-east Australia". Zootaxa. 3722 (1): 61–72. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3722.1.5.
  2. ↑ Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Cophixalus petrophilus Hoskin, 2013". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  3. ↑ "'Lost world' discovered in remote Australia". AFP. 28 October 2013.
  4. 1 2 Jessica Aldred (28 October 2013). "Gecko that looks like a leaf among new species found in Australia's 'lost world'". The Guardian . Retrieved 28 October 2013.
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