Choerophryne swanhildae

Choerophryne swanhildae is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and is known from the Hagen and Kubor ranges.[1][2]

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

Albericus swanhildae 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, in this case Swanhild.[3]

Description

The type series consists of eight unsexed individuals measuring 14–15 mm (0.55–0.59 in) in snout–urostyle length.[3] Later examination of six of these has revealed them all as males, measuring 14–16 mm (0.55–0.63 in) in snout–vent length.[5][3] The dorsum is exceptionally warty. The throat is black whereas the belly is grey or spotted. No bright colours are present.[3]

The male advertisement call is a series of very short, bell-like notes. The dominant frequency is about 4 kHz.[3]

Habitat and conservation

Choerophryne swanhildae occurs in mid-montane rainforest at 1,920–2,500 m (6,300–8,200 ft) above sea level.[1] The type locality is a Pandanus grove.[3] Development is presumably direct;[1] i.e., there is no free-living larval stage.[6]

This species is quite common. Threats to it are poorly known, but it appears to tolerate some habitat modification from logging. It is not known to occur in any protected area.[1]

References
  1. Richards, S.; Zweifel, R. & Menzies, J. (2004). "Choerophryne siegfriedi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T57669A11671344. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T57669A11671344.en. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Choerophryne swanhildae (Menzies, 1999)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  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 G. (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.
  6. Vitt, Laurie J. & Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. p. 166.
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