Choerophryne siegfriedi

Choerophryne siegfriedi is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea and is only known from its type locality, Mount Elimbari in the Simbu Province.[1][2]

Choerophryne siegfriedi

Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Microhylidae
Genus: Choerophryne
Species:
C. siegfriedi
Binomial name
Choerophryne siegfriedi
(Menzies, 1999)
Choerophryne siegfriedi is only known from Mount Elimbari in the Simbu Province, Papua New Guinea.
Synonyms[2]

Albericus siegfriedi Menzies, 1999

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 Siegfried.[3]

Description

The specimens in the type series (sex unspecified) were originally reported to measure 14–16 mm (0.55–0.63 in) in snout–urostyle length.[3] Later examination of a subset of these, of which five are females and one is a male, gave much larger size, 18–21 mm (0.71–0.83 in) in snout–vent length. The reason for this large discrepancy is unknown.[5] The ventral surface is reddish, yellowish, or whitish, with variable spotting or else uniformly dark.[3]

Choerophryne siegfriedi is similar to Choerophryne darlingtoni, apart from the call that can be characterized as a "squeak", repeated in irregular series.[3]

Habitat and conservation

Choerophryne siegfriedi is known from montane rainforest at 2,400–2,500 m (7,900–8,200 ft) above sea level. Development is presumably direct;[1] i.e., there is no free-living larval stage.[6]

This species was quite common at the type locality. It is threatened by land clearance leading to habitat fragmentation. Bush fires are an additional threat. It is not known to occur in any protected area.[1]

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References
  1. Bickford, D.; Parker, F. & Menzies, J. (2004). "Choerophryne siegfriedi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T57668A11671227. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T57668A11671227.en.
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Choerophryne siegfriedi (Menzies, 1999)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 29 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.
  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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