Austrochaperina basipalmata

Austrochaperina basipalmata is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to the mountain ranges of northern New Guinea and is found between Tawarin River in Papua, Western New Guinea (Indonesia) and Torricelli Mountains in Papua New Guinea.[1][2]

Austrochaperina basipalmata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Microhylidae
Genus: Austrochaperina
Species:
A. basipalmata
Binomial name
Austrochaperina basipalmata
(van Kampen, 1906)
Synonyms[2]

Chaperina basipalmata (van Kampen, 1906)
Chaperina quatuorlobata (Wandolleck, 1911)

Description edit

Adult males measure 32–34 mm (1.3–1.3 in) and adult females 33–39 mm (1.3–1.5 in) in snout–vent length. The tip of the snout is somewhat pointed and conspicuously whitened in adult males but the shout is rounded in adult females, rarely showing even a trace of white; juveniles of both sexes have dark snouts. The head is slightly narrower than the body. The eyes are relatively small. The tympanum is scarcely visible. The finger and toe tips bear grooved discs. The toes are basally webbed. Skin is smooth to slightly rugose dorsally and smooth ventrally. Preserved specimens are dorsally brown, often with some indistinct darker spotting or mottling, rarely with well-defined darker spots. The undersides are pale tan with more or less distinct darker mottling on the chin, chest, and hind legs.[3]

Habitat and conservation edit

Austrochaperina basipalmata occurs in rainforests in association with small mountain streams[1] at elevations of 940–1,200 m (3,080–3,940 ft) above sea level.[4] It is locally abundant. Development is direct (i.e. there is no free-living larval stage[5]).[1] There are no known threats to this species. It might be present in the Cyclops Mountains Nature Reserve.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Austrochaperina basipalmata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T57687A151644361. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T57687A151644361.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Frost, Darrel R. (2019). "Austrochaperina basipalmata (Van Kampen, 1906)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  3. ^ Zweifel, R. G. (2000). "Partition of the Australopapuan microhylid frog genus Sphenophryne with descriptions of new species". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 253: 1–130.
  4. ^ Kraus, Fred & Allison, Allen (2006). "Range extensions for reptiles and amphibians along the northern versant of Papua New Guinea" (PDF). Herpetological Review. 37 (3): 364–368.
  5. ^ Vitt, Laurie J. & Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. p. 166.