Biology:Leiopelma

Short description: Genus of amphibians

Leiopelma Temporal range: Miocene–Recent PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Hochstetter's frog (Leiopelma hochstetteri)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Suborder:	Archaeobatrachia
Family:	Leiopelmatidae Mivart, 1869
Genus:	Leiopelma Fitzinger, 1861
Species
See text
Distribution of Leiopelmatidae (in black)

Leiopelma is a genus of New Zealand primitive frogs, belonging to the suborder Archaeobatrachia. It is the only genus in the monotypic family Leiopelmatidae. The leiopelmatids' relatively basal form indicates they have an ancient lineage. While some taxonomists have suggested combining the North American frogs of the genus Ascaphus in the family Ascaphidae with the New Zealand frogs of the genus Leiopelma in the family Leiopelmatidae, the current consensus is that these two groups constitute two separate families. The four extant species of Leiopelmatidae are only found in New Zealand.

Overview

The New Zealand primitive frogs' defining characteristics are their extra vertebrae (for a total of nine) and the remains of the tail muscles (the tail itself is absent in adults, although it is present in the younger frogs, which need the extra skin surface until their lungs are fully developed). The family Ascaphidae (found only in North America), of the same suborder, shares these primitive characteristics, hence the two have often been described as related, or even part of the same family.

Late jump recovery is unique in Leiopelmatidae. When leiopelmatid species jump, they land in a "belly flop" fashion, repositioning their limbs for takeoff for the next jump only after hitting the ground with the ventral surface of their torsos. The appearance of early jump recovery in more advanced taxa is a key innovation in anuran evolution.

They are unusually small frogs, only 5 cm (2.0 in) in length. Most species lay their eggs in moist ground, typically under rocks or vegetation. After hatching, the tadpoles nest in the male's back, all without the need for standing or flowing water. However, Hochstetter's frog lays its eggs in shallow ponds and has free-living tadpoles, although they do not swim far from the place of hatching, or even feed, before metamorphosing into adult frogs. Lifespans may be long (more than 30 years) for such small organisms.

Introduced fauna are thought to have had a negative impact on these native frogs, with 93% of all reported predation events on native frogs being attributed to introduced fauna, primarily ship rats.

Taxonomy & Systematics

Species

Family Leiopelmatidae

• Genus Leiopelma
  • Archey's frog, Leiopelma archeyi Turbott, 1942
  • Hamilton's frog, Leiopelma hamiltoni McCulloch, 1919
  • Hochstetter's frog, Leiopelma hochstetteri Fitzinger, 1861

Extinct species

Three extinct species are known by subfossil remains, also from New Zealand. They became extinct during the past 1,000 years.

• †Aurora frog, Leiopelma auroraensis
• †Markham's frog, Leiopelma markhami
• †Waitomo frog, Leiopelma waitomoensis

One species from the late Pliocene period has recently been described.

• †Leiopelma bishopi Easton, Tennyson and Rawlence, 2021

Two species are known from Miocene deposits of the Saint Bathans fauna, with indeterminate remains possibly representing additional species

• †Leiopelma miocaenale
• †Leiopelma acricarina

Evolutionary history

DNA analysis indicates that Leiopelmatidae share a distant common ancestry with Ascaphidae to the exclusion of all other frogs, and Leiopelmatidae and Ascaphidae diverged from all other frogs around 200 million years ago. L. archeyi and L. hochstetteri are thought to have diverged from each other between 40 and 50 million years ago, based on genomic divergence estimates. Fossils of the genus are known from the early Miocene (19-16 million years ago) aged St Bathans Fauna of New Zealand.

Anura

Leiopelmatidae     Ascaphidae     Bombianura Costata   Bombinatoridae       Alytidae     Discoglossidae       Pipanura Xenoanura   Pipidae     Rhinophrynidae     Acosmanura Anomocoela   Scaphiopodidae       Pelodytidae   Pelobatoidea   Pelobatidae     Megophryidae         Neobatrachia   Heleophrynidae   Phthanobatrachia   Sooglossoidea   Sooglossidae     Nasikabatrachidae         Notogaeanura Australobatrachia   Calyptocephalellidae       Myobatrachidae     Limnodynastidae       Nobleoanura   Brachycephaloidea   Ceuthomantidae       Brachycephalidae       Eleutherodactylidae     Craugastoridae       (Terrarana)       Hemiphractidae   Athesphatanura   Hylidae   Leptodactyliformes     Agastorophrynia   Bufonidae       Aromobatidae     Dendrobatidae             Diphyabatracea   Leptodactylidae       Allophrynidae     Centrolenidae             Ceratophryidae       Odontophrynidae         Cycloramphidae       Alsodidae     Hylodidae           Telmatobiidae       Batrachylidae     Rhinodermatidae                           Ranoides Allodapanura   Microhylidae   Afrobatrachia Xenosyneunitanura   Brevicipitidae     Hemisotidae     Laurentobatrachia   Hyperoliidae     Arthroleptidae         Natatanura   Ptychadenidae   Victoranura   Micrixalidae       Phrynobatrachidae       Conrauidae       Pyxicephaloidea   Petropedetidae     Pyxicephalidae             Nyctibatrachidae     Ceratobatrachidae     Saukrobatrachia     Ranixalidae     Dicroglossidae     Aglaioanura     Rhacophoridae     Mantellidae       Ranidae

See also

• Frogs of New Zealand

Further reading

• D.G. Newman (1996). "Native frog (Leiopelma ssp.) recovery plan". Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand. http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/science-and-technical/tsrp18.pdf. 

External links

• New Zealand Frog Conservation Biology - research on New Zealand frog biology

Wikidata ☰ Q55477 entry