Waitomo frog

Leiopelma waitomoensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Leiopelmatidae
Genus: Leiopelma
Species: L. waitomoensis
Binomial name
Leiopelma waitomoensis
Worthy, 1987[1]

The Waitomo frog (Leiopelma waitomoensis) is an extinct species of the genus Leiopelma from New Zealand.[1]

The Waitomo frog's distribution was solely in the North Island of New Zealand. Its extinction is believed to have happened during the last 1000 years.[2] Its sub-fossil remains were discovered at a cave near Waitomo. L. waitomoensis was a large, robust frog, and presumably many times heavier than other native frogs.[3] It was around 100 mm in length, about twice the size of any other native New Zealand frogs. It was first described by Trevor H. Worthy in 1987 along with the Aurora frog and Markham's frog.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Waitomo Frog, Leiopelma waitomoensis Worthy, 1987; holotype". Collections Online. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  2. Worthy, Trevor H. (1987). "Palaeoecological information concerning members of the frog genus Leiopelma: Leiopelmatidae in New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 17 (4): 409–420. doi:10.1080/03036758.1987.10426482.
  3. Paddy Ryan (2012). "Frogs in New Zealand". Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  4. Worthy, Trevor H. (1987). "Osteology of Leiopelma (Amphibia: Leiopelmatidae) and descriptions of three new subfossil Leiopelma species". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 17 (3): 201–251. doi:10.1080/03036758.1987.10418160.


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