Systematics of Sphagnum Frogs of the Genus Philoria (Anura: Myobatrachidae) in Eastern Australia, With the Description of Two New Species
Author
Knowles, Ross
Author
Mahony, Michael
Author
Armstrong, Jan
Author
Donnellan, Stephen
text
Records of the Australian Museum
2004
2004-04-07
56
1
57
74
https://journals.australian.museum/knowles-et-al-2004-rec-aust-mus-561-5774/
journal article
10.3853/j.0067-1975.56.2004.1391
2201-4349
5757117
Philoria kundagungan
(Ingram & Corben, 1975)
Type data
.
The
holotype
is an adult female,
QM
J23944
, collected by
C.J. Corben
and
A.K. Smyth
on
3 January 1974
at
Mistake Mountains
,
Queensland
,
27°53'S
152°21'E
.
Other material examined
. See Appendix.
Diagnosis
. Relatively small adult size (SVL to
28 mm
); dark head stripe absent or, if present, narrow; abdomen usually either yellow or red with smaller patches of either colour, and males with poorly developed nuptial pad on first finger (
Fig. 4
).
Description
. A small squat frog with a robust, pear-shaped body. Adult males (n = 15) measure
23 to 28 mm
and females (n = 15)
23.5 to 28 mm
SVL. Head shorter than wide (HL/HW mean 0.69, range 0.62–0.79). Head length approximately one-quarter snout to vent length (HL/SVL mean 0.24, range 0.21–0.28). Hind limbs short (TL/SVL mean 0.41, range 0.38–0.46). Ratio of eye to naris distance to internarial span variable (EN/IN mean 0.63, range 0.54– 0.71). Dorsal surface varies from either yellow, orange, bright red to black with patches of alternative colours. In about half of specimens, a pair of raised ridges is present on dorsum, starting behind eye and continuing posteriorly about a third of way along dorsum. Dorsal skin either smooth or with raised “warts”, with frequency of “warty” specimens increasing to the south. Ventral surface variably immaculate yellow, yellow with red patches on either throat, abdomen or lateral aspects of abdomen, or yellow with red and brown patches with latter speckled with fine white dots. Undersurfaces of limbs range from yellow to yellow with red or brown wash, latter with small irregular shaped white marks. A black patch over cloaca only or a black patch over cloaca and adjacent upper thighs or entire upper thighs. Fingers and toes unwebbed. Tympanum indistinct. A dark facial stripe is present in about half the specimens running from near tip of snout, through loreal region below canthus rostralis, crossing eye to base of forelimb. Fingers in decreasing order of length 3>2>4>1. Toes in decreasing order of length 4>3>5>2>1. Nuptial pad on first finger of males weakly developed. Spatulae on first and second fingers of females. Vomerine teeth behind level of choanae.
Dimensions of
holotype
(mm).
SVL 23.5
, HL 6.8, HW 8.75, TL 9.35,
E 2.7
, EN 1.5, IN 1.45
.
Distribution and abundance
. Found along the ranges from the Mistake Mountains west of Brisbane south to Beaury SF approximately
15 km
S of the
New South Wales
–
Queensland
border (Ingram & Corben, 1975; AMS and QM registers, 1993). The species is known from
27 specimens
from only eight localities.Although Ingram & Corben (1975) make no reference to the abundance of
P. kundagungan
, the small number of known localities and specimens suggest that it is not common. No new locations were found for
P. kundagungan
during the course of the present study.
Conservation status
. Listed as rare under the
Queensland
Nature Conservation Act 1992,
and under Schedule 2 of the
New South Wales
Threatened Species Conservation Act
, 1995 as vulnerable. It has a much smaller range than both
P. loveridgei
and
P. sphagnicolus
; it is known from fewer locations, and less specimens have been deposited in museum collections (Ingram & Corben, 1975;
Queensland
Museum records, 1993; Australian Museum records, 1993). It is known for certain from only eight locations within a very small range. Only three of the known localities, Mistake Mountains NP, Mt Superbus Main Range NP and Cunninghams Gap NP, all in
Queensland
, are within the national parks estate. All other localities are in state forests. Recruitment was observed at the four locations sampled in the present study. The major threat is likely to be loss or damage to habitat through logging operations. During field work for the present study, logging was observed in the immediate vicinity to
P. kundagungan
habitat at Beaury and Koreelah SF, NSW