''Choerophryne darlingtoni'' is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

in the family

Microhylidae The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread family of frogs. The 683 species are in 63 genera and 11 subfamilies, which is the largest number of genera of any frog family. Evolution A molecular phylo ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

and found in the

New Guinea Highlands The New Guinea Highlands, also known as the Central Range or Central Cordillera, is a long chain of mountain ranges on the island of New Guinea, including the island's tallest peak, Puncak Jaya , the highest mountain in Oceania. The range is home ...

. The specific name ''darlingtoni'' honors P. Jackson Darlington Jr., an American evolutionary biologist and zoogeographer. Common name Darlington's rainforest frog has been coined for it.

Description

''Choerophryne darlingtoni'' grows to a maximum snout–vent length of . The snout is blunt, similar in length to the eye. The fifth toe is longer than the third. Coloration is highly variable. A thin vertebral line or a broad light vertebral stripe may be present. The dorsal ground color varies from deep plumbeous to pale yellowish tan. Various darker markings are present. A pale, golden interocular line is almost always present but is sometimes indistinct. The venter is pale and nearly immaculate to grey. ''Choerophryne darlingtoni'' is not morphologically distinguishable from '' Choerophryne fafniri'' but is distinguishable by the male advertisement call. It is also similar to '' Choerophryne variegata''.

Habitat and conservation

Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

s at elevations above . It is a locally abundant species but can be locally threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

caused by selective logging and forest clearance.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q28055735 darlingtoni Endemic fauna of New Guinea Endemic fauna of Papua New Guinea Amphibians of Papua New Guinea Amphibians described in 1948 Taxa named by Arthur Loveridge Taxonomy articles created by Polbot