Litoria

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Litoria
Australian Green tree frog (Litoria caerulea)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Amphibia
Subclass: Lissamphibia
Order: Anura
Suborder: Neobatrachia
Family: Hylidae
Subfamily: Pelodryadinae
Genus: Litoria
Tschudi, 1838
Species

Around 150, see text

Litoria is a genus of Hylidae tree frogs native to Australia, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, the Lesser Sunda Islands, the Moluccan Islands, and Timor. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Australasian treefrogs. They are distinguishable from other tree frogs by the presence of horizontal irises, no pigmentation of the eyelids, and their Wallacean distribution. There are (as of mid-2008) almost 150 species, but as several new species are described every year on average; by 2010, the number of known species is likely to exceed 150.

The species within the genus Litoria are extremely variable in appearance, behaviour, and habitat. The smallest species within the genus is the javelin frog (L. microbelos), reaching a maximum length of 1.6 cm, while the largest, the giant tree frog (L. infrafrenata), reaches a size of 13.5-14 cm. The appearance, behaviour, and habitat of each frog is usually linked. The small, darkly coloured frogs are generally terrestrial, and will never, or infrequently, climb. The larger, green species are usually arboreal and some will only venture to the ground to breed.

Species

References

  1. Anstis, Marion; Tyler, Michael J.; Roberts, Dale; Price, Luke C.; Doughty, Paul (2010). "A new species of Litoria (Anura: Hylidae) with a highly distinctive tadpole from the north-western Kimberley region of Western Australia". Zootaxa 2550: 39–57. 
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