''Papurana milneana'' 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 ...

of "

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 ...

", family Ranidae. 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 ...

where it is found in the upland areas of

Milne Bay Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range to t ...

, Morobe,

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

, and

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

Provinces, as well from the

D'Entrecasteaux Islands D'Entrecasteaux Islands () are situated near the eastern tip of New Guinea in the Solomon Sea in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. The group spans a distance of , has a total land area of approximately and is separated from the Papua New G ...

and, tentatively,

Louisiade Archipelago The Louisiade Archipelago is a string of ten larger volcanic islands frequently fringed by coral reefs, and 90 smaller coral islands in Papua New Guinea. It is located 200 km southeast of New Guinea, stretching over more than and spread ...

. It was originally described as a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of ''Rana grisea'' (now '' Papurana grisea''), but raised to full-species status in 2007.

Description

Adult males grow to and adult females to in snout–vent length. The snout is acutely pointed. The tympanum is distinct. The fingers have no webbing whereas the toes are webbed to the base of toe discs. The hind limbs are relatively long. Dorsal and lateral surfaces are mostly smooth. Females are dorsally russet or orange brown. There is almost always a clear yellow stripe on the rear of the thigh, contrasting with the chocolate brown ground color. Males are typically dirty brown or tan. The yellow line on the thighs is often short or broken. The male advertisement call is rather complex and variable. The first part is a series weak clucking sounds, followed by a loud, guttural croaking note.

Habitat and conservation

''Papurana milneana'' occurs in low-elevation and mid-elevation forest streams at elevations up to

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. It is

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

and most commonly found along the banks and in the stream beds of streams consisting of hard substrates (cobbles, rocks, or boulders), but can occasionally traversing the forest at night, well away from water. Juveniles can also be encountered among streamside cobbles during the day. It adapts to anthropogenic habitats and can be found along somewhat disturbed lowland streams in secondary habitats, among others. ''Papurana milneana'' is a relatively common and adaptable species. It is facing no obvious threats. It is not known to occur in any protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q28050970 milneana Amphibians of Papua New Guinea Endemic fauna of Papua New Guinea Amphibians described in 1948 Taxa named by Arthur Loveridge