Biology:Parachuting frog

From HandWiki
Short description: Species of frog

Parachuting frog
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hylidae
Genus: Nyctimystes
Species:
N. pterodactyla
Binomial name
Nyctimystes pterodactyla
(Oliver, Richards, and Donnellan, 2019)
Synonyms
  • Litoria pterodactyla Oliver, Richards, and Donnellan, 2019

The parachuting frog (Nyctimystes pterodactyla), or pale-eyed parachuting tree frog, is a species of frog found in New Guinea.[1] It is in the Nyctimystes gramineus complex with the Pinocchio frog and montane Pinocchio frog.[2][3]

The frog uses its webbed toes to steer when it jumps out of trees, like a human in a parachute. As of 2019, scientists had only seen the parachuting frog once.[3] They found it in the Muller mountain range, 515 meters above sea level.[1]

The scientists used DNA barcoding to examine the parachuting frog and other species found nearby, the Pinocchio frog and montane Pinocchio frog.[4]

The scientific name of this frog, pterodactyla, means "wings on its fingers" and comes from Latin.[3]

References

Wikidata ☰ Q65205328 entry