Choerophryne darlingtoni

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.[2] The specific name darlingtoni honors P. Jackson Darlington Jr., an American evolutionary biologist and zoogeographer.[3] Common name Darlington's rainforest frog has been coined for it.[2][3]

Choerophryne darlingtoni
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Microhylidae
Genus: Choerophryne
Species:
C. darlingtoni
Binomial name
Choerophryne darlingtoni
(Loveridge, 1948)
Synonyms[2]

Cophixalus biroi darlingtoni Loveridge, 1948
Cophixalus darlingtoniZweifel, 1956
Albericus darlingtoniBurton and Zweifel, 1995

Description edit

Choerophryne darlingtoni grows to a maximum snout–vent length of 27 mm (1.1 in). The snout is blunt, similar in length to the eye. The fifth toe is longer than the third.[4] Coloration is highly variable. A thin vertebral line or a broad light vertebral stripe may be present. The dorsal ground color varies from deep plumbeous to pale yellowish tan. Various darker markings are present. A pale, golden interocular line is almost always present but is sometimes indistinct. The venter is pale and nearly immaculate to grey.[5]

Choerophryne darlingtoni is not morphologically distinguishable from Choerophryne fafniri[2] but is distinguishable by the male advertisement call.[1] It is also similar to Choerophryne variegata.[4]

Habitat and conservation edit

Its natural habitats are montane forests[1] at elevations above 2,000 m (6,600 ft).[2] It is a locally abundant species but can be locally threatened by habitat loss caused by selective logging and forest clearance.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Richards, S. & Zweifel, R. (2015) [errata version of 2004 assessment]. "Choerophryne darlingtoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T57662A85822896. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T57662A11670701.en.
  2. ^ a b c d e Frost, Darrel R. (2019). "Choerophryne darlingtoni (Loveridge, 1948)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael & Grayson, Michael (2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-907807-42-8.
  4. ^ a b Zweifel, Richard George (1962). "Frogs of the microhylid genus Cophixalus from the mountains of New Guinea". American Museum Novitates (2087): 1–26. hdl:2246/3455.
  5. ^ Zweifel, Richard George (1956). "Notes on microhylid frogs, genus Cophixalus, from New Guinea". American Museum Novitates (1785): 1–8. hdl:2246/4848.