Biology:Litoria naispela

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Short description: Species of frog

Litoria naispela
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hylidae
Genus: Litoria
Species:
L. naispela
Binomial name
Litoria naispela
Richards, Donnellan & Oliver, 2023[1]

Litoria naispela, also known as the Crater Mountain treehole frog, is a species of frog in the subfamily Pelodryadinae. It was described in 2023 by Australian herpetologist Stephen Richards and his colleagues Stephen Donnellan and Paul Oliver. The specific epithet naispela is a Tok Pisin term meaning ‘beautiful’ or ‘attractive’.[2]

Distribution and habitat

The species is endemic to New Guinea. It is found in the Crater Mountain wildlife management area of Papua New Guinea.[2]

Behaviour

When breeding, the frogs glue their eggs to the trunks of trees above water-filled tree hollows, with the tadpoles being washed into the hollows after hatching. When the immature froglets first emerge from the tree hollows, their appearance resembles that of bird droppings, a factor hypothesised to protect them from bird predation, before they acquire the green and white markings of adult frogs.[2]

References

Wikidata ☰ Q118114334 entry