Platymantis vitiensis

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Platymantis vitiensis
Fiji tree frog Tamara Osborne.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Ceratobatrachidae
Genus: Platymantis
Species:
P. vitiensis
Binomial name
Platymantis vitiensis
(Girard, 1853)

Platymantis vitiensis (common names: Fiji tree frog, Levuka wrinkled ground frog) is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. [3] It is one of two endemic frogs in Fiji, the other being the closely related Platymantis vitianus (Viti Wrinkled ground frog or Fiji ground frog).

Contents

Description

The adult male frog measures about 32-45 mm in snout-vent length and the adult female frog about 47-60 mm. The climbing disks on the front toes are much larger than the ones on the hind toes. The skin of the dorsum can be gray, orange, yellow, or gray-green, but is never green. Some individuals have a white or yellow stripe on their backs. [4]

Behavior and reproduction

This frog is an able swimmer and jumper. It has been observe twisting in mid-air so that it may make an immediate subsequent jump in a different direction to confound predators. Unlike most frog species, the female and male both sing. However, because the female lacks a vocal sac, her call sounds different from her male counterpart's. [4]

The female frog lays 20-40 eggs per clutch. She lays her eggs on plants. This frog undergoes direct development, hatching as a small froglet rather than as a free-swimming tadpole. [4]

Habitat and distribution

Platymantis vitiensis is a locally common species that lives in moist tropical lowland forest, in particular near streams. It can also be found in lesser numbers in gardens, plantations, and in pandans in pastureland. It is found on Ovalau, Taveuni, Vanua Levu and Viti Levu. It is threatened by habitat loss on these islands, particularly due to the increase in conversion of native forest to plantations. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Platymantis</i> Genus of amphibians

Platymantis is a genus of frogs in the family Ceratobatrachidae. They are commonly known as wrinkled ground frogs, ground frogs, and forest frogs.

Cornufer acrochordus, also known as the Bougainville wrinkled ground frog, is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to the Solomon Islands archipelago and occurs on Bougainville, Choiseul, and Santa Isabel Islands, although its distribution in the archipelago is not properly known. The specific name acrochordus is Greek for "warty" and refers to the warty skin of this species.

Cornufer batantae is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to West Papua, Indonesia, and is known from two islands near the New Guinean mainland, Batanta and Waigeo. There are also unconfirmed records from Yapen and Gag Islands. Common name Batanta wrinkled ground frog has been coined for the species.

Platymantis bimaculatus is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to West Papua, Indonesia.

Cornufer boulengeri, commonly known as Boulenger's wrinkled ground frog or Boulenger's platymantis, is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. It has been observed as high as 1500 meters above sea level. The adults live on the forest floor of lowland and foothill rain forests, whereas juveniles occur low on the vegetation. It is potentially threatened by habitat loss caused by logging.

Cornufer cheesmanae is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to New Guinea and found in the Cyclops Mountains and Bewani Mountains. The specific name cheesmanae honors Lucy Evelyn Cheesman, an English entomologist, explorer, and curator at London Zoo. Common name Cheesman's wrinkled ground frog has been coined for it.

<i>Platymantis dorsalis</i> Species of frog

Platymantis dorsalis is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to the northern and central Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, plantations, rural gardens, and heavily degraded former forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Cornufer gilliardi, commonly known as Gilliard's wrinkled ground frog, is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to the Whiteman Ranges of New Britain, Bismarck Archipelago. The specific name gilliardi honors Ernest Thomas Gilliard, an American ornithologist who, together with Margaret Gilliard, collected the holotype.

Cornufer hedigeri, commonly known as the Treasury wrinkled ground frog or Solomon Islands giant treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae, named after Henry B. Guppy who collected the holotype from the Treasury Islands. It is widespread in the Solomon Islands archipelago, though it is missing from New Georgia and Makira islands.

<i>Platymantis insulatus</i> Species of amphibian

Platymantis insulatus is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to the Gigante Islands just northeast of Panay, the Philippines. This frog is variously known as the Gigantes wrinkled ground frog, island forest frog, South Gigante Island frog, Gigantes forest frog, and Gigantes limestone frog. Originally described from South Gigante, it is now known to occur on at least three other islands.

Cornufer macrops, also known as the Aresi wrinkled ground frog, is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. The specific name macrops refers to the very large eyes of this species. It is endemic to Bougainville Island, in the Papua New Guinean part of the Solomon Islands archipelago. It is only known from the mountains of northern Bougainville Island, near Kunua, although its true range could be much wider.

Cornufer macrosceles is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea. It is only known from the Nakanai Mountains in the central part of the island. Only three specimens are known. Common name Ti wrinkled ground frog has been coined for the species.

Cornufer mamusiorum is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to the central Nakanai Mountains in New Britain, Papua New Guinea. The specific name mamusiorum refers to the Mamusi, a local tribe.

<i>Cornufer papuensis</i> Species of frog

Cornufer papuensis is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is found in the northern parts of New Guinea and in many surrounding islands, including the Bismarck Archipelago, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Trobriand Islands, and Maluku Islands including Sula Islands and Seram Island (Indonesia). Common name Papua wrinkled ground frog has been coined for the species.

<i>Cornufer pelewensis</i> Species of amphibian

Cornufer pelewensis, commonly known as Palau frog or Palau wrinkled ground frog, is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to Palau.

Cornufer punctatus, commonly known as the dotted wrinkled ground frog, is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to Western New Guinea (Indonesia) and occurs in the Arfak and Wondiwoi Mountains in the Guinean mainland well as on some adjacent islands.

Cornufer schmidti is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It was first described as a subspecies of Platymantis papuensis. It is the type species of the subgenus Aenigmanura within Cornufer. It is endemic to the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea, and is known from the islands of New Britain, New Ireland, and Manus; the Manus population might represent a distinct species.

Platymantis spelaeus, also known as the Negros cave frog or cave wrinkled ground frog, is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to the Philippines, where it is only found in the forested limestone areas of southern Negros. It is one of the two cave-dwelling Platymantis species, the other one being Platymantis insulatus.

<i>Cornufer vitianus</i> Species of amphibian

Cornufer vitianus, commonly known as Fiji ground frog or Viti wrinkled ground frog, is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to Fiji.

Cornufer weberi, Weber's wrinkled ground frog, is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is found in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, plantations, rural gardens, urban areas, and heavily degraded former forest.

References

  1. ↑ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Solomon Wrinkled Ground Frog: Cornufer vitiensis". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 3.1: e.T58484A176224215. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T58484A176224215.en. 58484. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Zug, G.; Watling, D. & Morrison, C. (2004). "Cornufer vitiensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2004: e.T58484A11775844. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T58484A11775844.en .
  3. ↑ Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Platymantis vitiensis (Girard, 1853)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Clare Morrison (February 2, 2004). Tate Tunstall (ed.). "Cornufer vitiensis (Girard, 1853): Fiji Ground Frog". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved December 15, 2022.


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