Oreophryne furu

Oreophryne furu is a species of microhylid frog endemic to Western New Guinea, distinguished from other related species by its small size, unique call and egg-guarding behaviour.^[2]

Discovery

O. furu was first collected in 2000 during a Conservation International biodiversity survey, and formally described in 2009 by Rainer Günther, Stephen Richards, Burhan Tjaturadi and Djoko Iskandar. It was found in the lowland rainforest near the Mamberamo River of Western New Guinea. The specific name derives from the Furu River, a small tributary of the Mamberamo River.^[2]

Characteristics

Length of collected males (from tip of snout to distal tip of urostyle bone) ranged between 20.5 and 23.3 mm, and one female was 24.7 mm. The dorsal and lateral sides are pale grey with variously scattered dark brown pigmentation, and a whitish mask on the snout. The ventral side is whitish and sometimes speckled with dark dots.^[2]

A male was observed guarding eggs glued to the underside of a leaf by straddling them, probably to provide moisture and avoid egg desiccation. This behaviour has been observed in only one other (undescribed) species. It advertises for mates with an infrequent, loud, harsh rattle that lasts about two seconds.^[2]

References

1. ↑ Darrel Frost. "Oreophryne furu Günther, Richards, Tjaturadi, and Iskandar, 2009". Amphibian Species of the World 6.0, an Online Reference. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved January 3, 2015. 
2. 1 2 3 4 Günther, R., Richards, S., Tjaturadi, B., & Iskandar, D. T. (2009). "A new species of the microhylid frog genus Oreophryne from the Mamberamo Basin of northern Papua Province, Indonesian New Guinea" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 59: 147–155. CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)