''Papurana aurata'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

true frog True frogs is the common name for the frog family Ranidae. They have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica. The true frogs are present in North A ...

, the family Ranidae. It is only known from the area of its type locality near

Nabire Nabire is a town in the Indonesian province of Central Papua, at the western end of New Guinea. The town is the administrative seat of the Nabire Regency, and has been designated to be the administrative capital of the new province. It is served by ...

, in the

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

n province of Papua, in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

. The specific name ''aurata'' is Latin and refers to the gold-like colour of adult males.

Description

''Papurana aurata'' is a relatively large species, with adult males measuring and adult females, based on the sole female

paratype In zoology and botany, a paratype is a specimen of an organism that helps define what the scientific name of a species and other taxon actually represents, but it is not the holotype (and in botany is also neither an isotype nor a syntype). Of ...

, in snout–vent length. The overall appearance is robust. The head is slightly wider than the body. The snout is gradually tapering and has a rounded tip. The

canthus rostralis In snakes and amphibians, the canthus, canthal ridge or ''canthus rostralis'',Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. . is the angle between the flat crown of the head and the ...

well defined and straight. The tympanum is about half the size of the eye. The forelimbs are sturdy. The fingers are long and have small discs. The hind limbs are very long and strong. The toes are almost fully webbed and have discs that are larger than the finger discs. The species shows strong

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

in colour, at least among individuals in mating conditions. The male show an intensive yellow dorsal surface of the head, body and extremities, sometimes fading to pale yellow or yellow-brownish at night. The female dorsal colouration was brown, by day and night. Dorsal colouration is uniform expect for possibly a few dots. The

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

is pale yellow in its upper part and reddish brown below. The male advertisement call consists of two notes, first a soft rattle and then a high-pitched trill. Sometimes either one of the notes is repeated, resulting in a three-note call.

Habitat and conservation

''Papurana aurata'' has been found inhabiting a mixture of primary and secondary rainforests near mountain streams and pools. Most specimens were found perched on vegetation above the ground, but some were also observed on rocks in the streams and pools. The

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...

s occur in small pools by slow-running sections of the streams. The species tolerates habitat disturbance as specimens have been found close to a road and in rural villages. Threats to it are unknown.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q28050168 aurata Endemic fauna of New Guinea Endemic fauna of Indonesia Amphibians of Western New Guinea Frogs of Asia Amphibians described in 2003