Choerophryne fafniri

Choerophryne fafniri is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae.[1][2] It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and is only known from the north-western slopes of Mount Giluwe and south-east of Mount Hagen in the Southern Highlands Province.[1]

Choerophryne fafniri
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Microhylidae
Genus: Choerophryne
Species:
C. fafniri
Binomial name
Choerophryne fafniri
(Menzies, 1999)
Synonyms[2]

Albericus fafniri Menzies, 1999[3]

Etymology

This species was originally described in the genus Albericus,[3] named for Alberich, the dwarf in Scandinavian mythology and Richard Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen.[3][4] Menzies named the species he described after Alberich's companions in the mythodology. The specific name fafniri is derived from Fafnir.[3]

Description

Choerophryne fafniri is a comparatively large species: six unsexed individuals in the type series measure 21.0–22.2 mm (0.83–0.87 in) in snout–urostyle length.[3] Later examination of five of these has revealed them to be males measuring 21.0–23.1 mm (0.83–0.91 in) in snout–vent length.[5] It is very similar to Choerophryne darlingtoni. The flanks and belly are orange to dark red and heavily blotched with brown. There are usually vague lumbar ocelli.[3]

The male advertisement call has been described as a "slow buzz". Note length is comparatively long at about 650 ms. Pulse rate starts slow, then increases abruptly, before slowing again.[3]

Habitat and conservation

Choerophryne fafniri lives in mid-altitude montane rainforest at an elevation of about 2,400 m (7,900 ft) above sea level. It is locally common. No major threats to it are known, although selective logging is a possible threat.[1]

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Choerophryne fafniri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T57663A152547928.
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Choerophryne fafniri (Menzies, 1999)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  3. Menzies, J. I. (1999). "A study of Albericus (Anura: Microhylidae) of New Guinea". Australian Journal of Zoology. 47 (4): 327–360. doi:10.1071/ZO99003.
  4. Burton, Thomas C.; Zweifel, Richard George (1995). "A new genus of genyophrynine microhylid frogs from New Guinea". American Museum Novitates. 3129: 1–7. hdl:2246/3574.
  5. Kraus, F.; Allison, A. (2005). "A colorful new species of Albericus (Anura: Microhylidae) from southeastern Papua New Guinea" (PDF). Pacific Science. 59: 43–53. doi:10.1353/psc.2005.0008. hdl:10125/24159. S2CID 58911686.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.