Litoria


Litoria is a genus of hylid tree frogs, sometimes collectively referred to as Australasian treefrogs.

Description

The species within the genus Litoria are extremely variable in appearance, behaviour, and habitat. The smallest species is the javelin frog, reaching a maximum snout–to–vent length of, while the largest, the giant tree frog, reaches a size of.
They are distinguishable from other tree frogs by the presence of horizontal irises, no pigmentation of the eyelids, and their distribution east and south from Wallacea. Over one hundred species are recognised and new species are still being added, such as the Pinocchio frog discovered in 2008 and described in 2019.

Distribution and habitat

The frogs are native to Australia, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, the Lesser Sunda Islands, and the Moluccan Islands. The appearance, behaviour and habitat of each species are usually linked. The small, dark-coloured frogs are generally terrestrial and never, or infrequently, climb. The larger green species are usually arboreal, with some only venturing to the ground to breed.

Fossils

The oldest fossil of a frog of the Litoria genus is of †Litoria tylerantiqua Farman, Archer & Hand, 2025 from the Tingamarra fauna of 55 million years ago. Indeterminate Litoria remains reminiscent of L. caerulea are known from the Late Oligocene-aged Etadunna Formation of South Australia. The fossil species †Litoria magna Tyler, 1991 is known from the Miocene of the Riversleigh fauna.

Species

While some former species have been moved to the genera Nyctimystes and Ranoidea, the following are recognised within the genus Litoria:L. adelaidensis - slender tree frogL. albolabris - Wandolleck's white-lipped tree frogL. amboinensis - Horst's tree frogL.amnicola - Raja Ampat torrent tree frogL. angiana - Angiana tree frogL. apliniL. arfakiana - Arfakiana tree frogL. aurifera - Kimberley rockhole frogL. axillaris - Kimberley rocket frogL. azuroscelis - Azure-thighed tree frogL. balatus L. becki - Beck's tree frogL. biakensis L. bibonius L. bicolor - northern dwarf tree frogL. bulmeri - Bulmer's tree frogL. burrowsi - Tasmanian tree frogL. capitula - Samlakki tree frogL. chloristonaL. chloronota - Arfak Mountain tree frogL. chrisdahli L. christianbergmanniL. congenita - Yule Island tree frogL. contrastens - Barabuna tree frogL. cooloolensis - Cooloola sedge frog, Cooloola tree frogL. coplandi - Copland's rock frogL. daraiensis - Darai Plateau tree frogL. darlingtoni - Darlington's Madang tree frogL. dentata - bleating tree frog, Keferstein's tree frogL. dorsalis - dwarf rocket frogL. dorsivena - eastern mountains tree frogL. electrica - buzzing tree frogL. eungellensis - Eungella whirring tree frogL. eurynastesL. everetti - Everett's tree frogL. ewingii - brown tree frogL. fallax - eastern dwarf tree frogL. flavescens L. freycineti - Freycinet's frogL. gasconi L. gracilis - slender spotted tree frogL. haematogaster - red-bellied tree frogL. havinaL. hilli L. humboldtorum L. inermis - bumpy rocket frogL. iris - Western Highland tree frogL. jervisiensis - Jervis Bay tree frogL. latopalmata - broad-palmed frogL. leucova - West Sepik tree frogL. lisae - Lisa's tree frogL. littlejohni - Littlejohn's tree frogL. lodesdemaL. longicrus - Wendessi tree frogL. longirostris - long-snouted frog, sharp-snouted frog, scrub rocket frogL. majikthiseL. marekuL. megalops L. meiriana - rockhole frogL. microbelos - javelin frogL. micromembrana - Nodugl tree frogL. modica - Oruge tree frogL. mucroL. multiplica - Kassam tree frogL. mystax - Moaif tree frogL. naispela - Crater Mountain treehole frogL. nasuta - striped rocket frogL. nigrofrenata - bridled frogL. nigropunctata - black-dotted tree frogL. oenicolen - Trauna River tree frogL. ollauroL. olongburensis - wallum sedge frog, Olongburra frog, sharp-snouted reed frogL. pallida - pale frogL. paraewingi - plains brown tree frog L. peronii - Peron's tree frog, emerald-speckled tree frog, laughing tree frog, maniacal cackle frogL. personata - masked frogL. pinocchio - Pinocchio frog