Hochstetter's frog

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Hochstetter's frog
Leiopelma hochstetteri 169509543.jpg
Status NZTCS D.svg
Declining (NZ TCS) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Leiopelmatidae
Genus: Leiopelma
Species:
L. hochstetteri
Binomial name
Leiopelma hochstetteri
Fitzinger, 1861 [3]
Leiopelma hochstetteri - map.svg
The distribution of Hochstetter's frog on the North Island map

Hochstetter's frog or Hochstetter's New Zealand frog (Leiopelma hochstetteri) [3] is a primitive frog native to New Zealand, one of only four extant species belonging to the taxonomic family Leiopelmatidae. They possess some of the most ancient features of any extant frogs in the world.

Contents

Taxonomy

Hochstetter's frog is named after the Austrian geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter. [4] This species is endemic to New Zealand and belongs to the most primitive anuran suborder Archaeobatrachia, along with Archey's frog (Leiopelma archeyi), Hamilton's frog (L. hamiltoni), and the Maud Island frog (L. pakeka). Three species within the genus, L. auroraensis , L. markhami , and L. waitomoensis , are extinct. [5]

Description

Hochstetter's frog has a brown-green to brown-red top with dark bands and warts, yellow-brown bellies. Males grow to 38 mm (1.5 in) and females 50 mm (2.0 in) snout–vent length. They are nocturnal, staying under refugia during the day. Hochstetter's frog prefers moist gaps under shaded debris, like rocks and logs and along streams and seepages in native temperate rainforest. [6] They are carnivorous, preying on invertebrates such as spiders, beetles, and mites. [7] All native New Zealand frogs (pepeketua in Māori) share tail-wagging muscles, inscriptional ribs, round pupils, and a lack of eardrums, eustachian tubes, and vocal sacs. These frogs, in some ways more similar to salamanders than modern frogs, use chemical signals over acoustic signals to mark habitat and recognize competitors. [8] Hochstetter's frogs poor hearing is complemented by their lack of vocalization.

Lifecycle

Hochstetter's frogs can live to 30 years old. Adults do not breed until they are three years old, laying up to 20 eggs each season. [9] While all four species develop as tadpoles inside the egg, hatching as froglets with developed back legs, Hochstetter's frogs, as the only semiaquatic species, continue to develop in water while the three other species are cared for by their parents. [9]

Distribution

Subfossil remains indicate all native species were once widespread across New Zealand until roughly 200 years ago. [10] Hochstetter's frogs have the most extensive distribution of the native frogs, spanning the upper North Island, including the Waitākere and Hunua Ranges, the Coromandel Peninsula, Great Barrier Island, Maungatautari Ecological Island, and the East Coast. [11] Ten populations of this species have been found to be genetically distinct, owing to the history of glacial isolation. [12]

Currently the species survives in fragmented populations across the North Island between Whangārei and the Waikato Region, and can also be found on Great Barrier Island. [13]

Threats

Invasive species like rats, goats, and pigs have caused declines in the species' population. [2] [6] The kiore, or Polynesian rat, was brought to New Zealand by the Māori, causing extinction on the South Island and large-scale destruction of populations on the North Island during the last millennium. [14] Rats and stoats are known to kill Hochstetter's frogs. [15] Predators known to predate other frog species in New Zealand, such as pigs, cats, hedgehogs and ferrets, [15] are also likely to have an impact. Introduced browsers, such as goats and pigs, have been thought erode habitat along streams and reduce the amount of vegetation providing shade. Habitat modification and destruction has been paramount in reducing populations. Local mining can cause sediment runoff that reduces stream quality and can even poison frogs. Logging and the resulting forest clearing can pose similar issues to stream quality. The global chytrid fungus epidemic has caused steep declines in Archey's frog populations and is thought to pose a threat to Hochstetter's frogs, as well. [2] [5] [6]

Conservation

Under the New Zealand Threat Classification scheme, Hochsetter's frog is listed as “At risk–Declining”. [5] [1] The IUCN has classified the species as “Least Concern”. [2] All native frogs are protected under the New Zealand Wildlife Management Act of 1953. The Kokako Management Area in the northern Hunua Ranges has been undergoing pest control since 1994 to provide suitable habitat for the conservation of kokako, an endangered forest bird. Surveys of Hochstetter's frogs in the area have shown numbers of young frogs have jumped from 10% to 30% in 2005. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferdinand von Hochstetter</span> German-Austrian geologist (1829–1884)

Christian Gottlieb Ferdinand Ritter von Hochstetter was a German-Austrian geologist. In 1857 he was appointed geologist on the Austrian Novara expedition to New Zealand, collecting natural history specimens and producing the first geological map of New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tailed frog</span> Genus of frogs

The tailed frogs are two species of frogs in the genus Ascaphus, the only taxon in the family Ascaphidae. The "tail" in the name is actually an extension of the male cloaca. The tail is one of two distinctive anatomical features adapting the species to life in fast-flowing streams. These are the only North American frog species that reproduce by internal fertilization. They are among the most primitive known families of frogs.

<i>Leiopelma</i> Genus of amphibians

Leiopelma is a genus of New Zealand primitive frogs, belonging to the suborder Archaeobatrachia. It is the only genus in the monotypic family Leiopelmatidae. The leiopelmatids' relatively basal form indicates they have an ancient lineage. While some taxonomists have suggested combining the North American frogs of the genus Ascaphus in the family Ascaphidae with the New Zealand frogs of the genus Leiopelma in the family Leiopelmatidae, the current consensus is that these two groups constitute two separate families. The three extant species of Leiopelmatidae are only found in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zealandia (wildlife sanctuary)</span> Protected natural area in Wellington, New Zealand

Zealandia, formerly known as the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected natural area in Wellington, New Zealand, the first urban completely fenced ecosanctuary, where the biodiversity of 225 ha of forest is being restored. The sanctuary was previously part of the water catchment area for Wellington, between Wrights Hill and the Brooklyn wind turbine on Polhill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservation in New Zealand</span>

Conservation in New Zealand has a history associated with both Māori and Europeans. Both groups of people caused a loss of species and both altered their behaviour to a degree after realising their effect on indigenous flora and fauna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darwin's frog</span> Species of amphibian

Darwin's frog, also called the Southern Darwin's frog, is a species of Chilean/Argentinian frog of the family Rhinodermatidae. It was discovered by Charles Darwin during his voyage on HMS Beagle. on a trip to Chile. In 1841, French zoologist André Marie Constant Duméril and his assistant Gabriel Bibron described and named Darwin's frog. The diet of R. darwinii consists mostly of herbivore invertebrates. R. darwinii is currently classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern brown tree frog</span> Species of amphibian

The southern brown tree frog, also known as the brown tree frog, whistling tree frog, or Ewing's tree frog, is a species of tree frog native to Australia: most of southern Victoria, eastern South Australia, southern New South Wales from about Ulladulla—although this species is reported to occur further north—and throughout Tasmania including the Bass Strait Islands, in which state it is the most frequently encountered frog. It has been introduced to New Zealand, where it can be locally abundant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archey's frog</span> Species of amphibian

Archey's frog is an archaic species of frog endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of only three extant species belonging to the taxonomic family Leiopelmatidae. It is found only in the Coromandel Peninsula and near Te Kūiti in the North Island of New Zealand. This species, along with others in the family, have changed little over the past 200 million years, thus they represent "living fossils".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton's frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Hamilton's frog is a primitive frog native to New Zealand, one of only three extant species belonging to the family Leiopelmatidae. New Zealand's frog species all are in the family Leiopelmatidae. The male remains with the eggs to protect them and allows the tadpoles to climb onto his back where they are kept moist. It is named in honour of Harold Hamilton the collector of the type specimen. The holotype is in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maud Island frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Maud Island frog has been recently been synonymised with Hamilton's frog

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duvaucel's gecko</span> Species of reptile

Duvaucel's gecko is a species of lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species is endemic to New Zealand and regarded as 'at risk' by the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) due to distribution limitations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plains spadefoot toad</span> Species of amphibian

The plains spadefoot toad is a species of American spadefoot toad which ranges from southwestern Canada, throughout the Great Plains of the western United States, and into northern Mexico. Like other species of spadefoot toads, they get their name from a spade-like projection on their hind legs which allows them to dig into sandy soils. Their name, in part, comes from their keratinized metatarsals, which are wide instead of "sickle shaped". The species name translates as buzzing leaf shaped. This refers to the species' distinguishing features; its buzzing mating call, and its leaf-shaped digging metatarsals. It was first described by Cope in 1863.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tapu River</span> River in New Zealand

The Tapu River is a river of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It flows west from the Coromandel Range, reaching the Firth of Thames at the settlement of Tapu, approximately halfway between Thames and Coromandel.

Leiopelma auroraensis, known as the Aurora frog, is an extinct species of frog that was found in New Zealand. One subfossil of the Aurora frog has been discovered in the Aurora Cave, Fiordland, New Zealand. It measured about 60 mm from the snout to the vent. It is named after the Aurora Cave for where it was found. The other extinct New Zealand frogs are Markham's frog and Waitomo frog. Aurora frog probably was a local form that had evolved from the more widely distributed Markham's frog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Island kōkako</span> Species of bird

The North Island kōkako is an endangered forest bird which is endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It is grey in colour, with a small black mask. It has blue wattles. Because of its wattle, the bird is sometimes locally called the blue-wattled crow, although it is not a corvid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Markham's frog</span> Extinct species of amphibian

Markham's frog is one of three extinct New Zealand frog species, the others being the Aurora frog and Waitomo frog. Subfossil bones used to describe the species were discovered at Honeycomb Hill Cave, South Island, New Zealand, but it once occurred on both South and North Islands. It is estimated that it grew between 50 and 60 mm from snout to vent and it appears to have been a very robust animal.

The Waitomo frog is an extinct species of the genus Leiopelma from New Zealand.

The Waitomo Caves Discovery Centre is a museum located in the town of Waitomo in the North Island of New Zealand. The museum is also referred to as the Waitomo Caves Discovery Centre, the Waitomo Museum of Caves and the Waitomo Education Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari</span> Protected wildlife sanctuary in Waikato, New Zealand

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, is a protected natural area in Waikato Region, New Zealand where the biodiversity of 3,400 ha of forest is being restored. The sanctuary covers the mountain peak, Maungatautari.

References

  1. 1 2 Rhys J. Burns; Ben D. Bell; Amanda Haigh; et al. (August 2018). Conservation status of New Zealand amphibians, 2017 (PDF). Vol. 25. pp. 1–11. ISBN   978-1-98-851468-0. ISSN   2324-1713. Wikidata   Q105980883.{{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  2. 1 2 3 4 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2015). "Leiopelma hochstetteri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T11452A66654724. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T11452A66654724.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Leiopelma hochstetteri Fitzinger, 1861". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  4. ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (22 April 2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. p. 95. ISBN   978-1-907807-42-8.
  5. 1 2 3 Newman, Donald G.; Bell, Ben D.; Bishop, Phillip J.; Burns, Rhys; Haigh, Amanda; Hitchmough, Rodney A.; Tocher, Mandy (June 2010). "Conservation status of New Zealand frogs, 2009". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 37 (2): 121–130. doi:10.1080/03014221003685856. S2CID   85054356.
  6. 1 2 3 "Hochstetter's Frog/Pepeketua (Leiopelma hochstetteri)" (PDF). Factsheet. Auckland Council. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  7. ↑ Shaw, S.D.; L.F. Skerratt; R. Kleinpaste; L. Daglish; P.J. Bishop (2012). "Designing a diet for captive native frogs from the analysis of stomach contents from free-ranging Leiopelma". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 39 (1): 47–56. doi: 10.1080/03014223.2011.619989 .
  8. ↑ Waldman, B.; P.J. Bishop (2003). "Chemical communication in an archaic anuran amphibian". Behavioral Ecology. 15 (1): 88–93. doi: 10.1093/beheco/arg071 . hdl: 10.1093/beheco/arg071 .
  9. 1 2 Wilson, K-J (2004). Flight of the Huia. Christchurch: Canterbury University Press.
  10. ↑ Worthy, T.H. (1987). "Osteology of Leiopelma (Amphibia: Leiopelmatidae) and descriptions of three new subfossil Leiopelma species". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 17 (3): 201–251. doi:10.1080/03036758.1987.10418160.
  11. ↑ Bishop, P.J. (2013). Native frog (Leiopelma spp.) recovery plan, 2013—2018 (PDF). Vol. Threatened Species Recovery Plan. Department of Conservation, Wellington. 39 pp. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-06. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
  12. ↑ Gleeson, D; C Clay; N Gemmell; R Howitt; A Haigh (2010). Summary report: Leiopelma hochstetteri population genetic structure. Landcare Research contract report LC 077 for the Department of Conservation (unpublished) (Report). 18 pp.
  13. ↑ van Winkel, Dylan; Baling, Marleen; Hitchmough, Rod (2018). Reptiles and Amphibians of New Zealand (1st ed.). Auckland: Auckland University Press. pp. 310–311. ISBN   978-1-86940-937-1. OL   40449345M. Wikidata   Q76013985.
  14. ↑ Worthy, Trevor H. (1987). "Palaeoecological information concerning members of the frog genus Leiopelma: Leiopelmatidae in New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 17 (4): 409–420. doi: 10.1080/03036758.1987.10426482 .
  15. 1 2 Egeter, Bastian; Robertson, Bruce C.; Bishop, Philip J. (2015). "A Synthesis of Direct Evidence of Predation on Amphibians in New Zealand, in the Context of Global Invasion Biology". Herpetological Review. 46: 512–519.
  16. ↑ Knill, K (26 October 2005). "Native frogs in the Hunua on the increase". Archived from the original on 28 September 2006. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
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