Species Of Litoria Research Articles

A New Species of Small Green Treefrog (Pelodryadidae: Litoria) from the Lakekamu Basin in Southern Papua New Guinea

We describe a new species of very small (male body length 22.0–22.8 mm), green treefrog in the pelodryadid genus Litoria Tschudi from lowland rainforest on the southern margin of Papua New Guinea's central cordillera. The new species is morphologically most similar to Litoria leucova, a small green treefrog known only from the north-flowing Sepik River catchment in western Papua New Guinea. It differs from that species by having longer limbs (TL/SVL 0.56–0.60 vs. 0.53–0.55), a poorly defined (vs. prominent) tympanum, in having a distinct lemon yellow mid-lateral line, and in its unique advertisement call comprising a slowly repeated series of short clicks followed by a discrete group of pulses produced rapidly but with highly variable inter-pulse intervals. Although genetic data are not available, the new species' association with a fast-flowing rocky stream suggests that its relationships may lie with other torrent-dwelling Litoria species.

Systematics of New Guinea treefrogs (Litoria: Pelodryadidae) with erectile rostral spikes: an extended description of Litoria pronimia and a new species from the Foja Mountains.

A small number of treefrog species (Litoria) from Melanesia are unusual amongst Anura in having distinctive fleshy rostral spikes. Here, we first present an extended description for Litoria pronimia Menzies, a small species that is widespread along the southern edge of the Central Cordillera of New Guinea, and in which males have a long and erectile rostral spike. Second, we describe Litoria pinocchio sp. nov. a new, morphologically similar, yet geographically disjunct species from the Foja Mountains in northern Papua Province, Indonesia. The new species differs from Litoria pronimia in aspects of body shape, proportions and colouration. A review of variation in the size, structure and degree of sexual dimorphism of the rostral spike across different species of Litoria suggests varying function including mate selection and camouflage.

Human-assisted invasions of pacific islands by litoria frogs: a case study of the bleating tree frog on Lord Howe Island.

There are substantial differences among taxonomic groups in their capacity to reach remote oceanic islands via long-distance overwater dispersal from mainland regions. Due to their permeable skin and intolerance of saltwater, amphibians generally require human-assisted dispersal to reach oceanic islands. Several Litoria frog species have been introduced to remote islands throughout the Pacific Ocean region. Lord Howe Island (LHI) is an oceanic island that lies approximately 600 km east of the Australian mainland and has a diverse, endemic biota. The bleating tree frog (Litoria dentata) is native to mainland eastern Australia, but was accidentally introduced to LHI in the 1990s, yet its ecology and potential impact on LHI has remained unstudied. We used a mitochondrial phylogeographical approach to determine that L. dentata was introduced from the Ballina region in northeastern New South Wales. The founding population was likely accidentally introduced with cargo shipped from the mainland. We also completed the first detailed investigation of the distribution, ecology and habitat use of L. dentata on LHI. The species is widespread on LHI and is prevalent in human habitat, cattle pasture and undisturbed forest. We discuss the potential impact of introduced Litoria species on Pacific islands and outline what biosecurity protocols could be implemented to prevent the introduction of further amphibian species to the ecologically sensitive oceanic area.

Further observations of visual signalling in Australo-Papuan hylid frogs of the genusLitoria(Tschudi)

Intra-specific communication in anuran amphibians is primarily achieved with vocal signals (Duellman and Trueb 1994). However, some species also use visual displays for inter- and/or intra-sexual communication (Hodl and Amezquita 2001). Such displays include movement of the fore and/ or hindlimbs (e.g. hand-waving, foot-flagging and/or leg-flicking), movement of the body or posturing, and exhibition of a brightly coloured vocal sac (Hodl and Amezquita 2001; Hirschmann and Hodl 2006). Visual signalling is hypothesised to be an alternative or complementary mode of communication in anurans used under certain environmental and/or social conditions (e.g. in noisy or visually complex environments) (Amezquita and Hodl 2004). To date, visual signalling involving limb movements has been described in few anuran species. The most recent review of visual signalling in amphibian species (Hodl and Amezquita 2001) reported this behaviour in just 13 frog species globally from eight genera, including four Australo-Papuan hylid frogs from the genus Litoria namely : L. nannotis, L. rheocola, L. genimaculata (now L. serrata [Richards et al. 2010]) and L. fallax. Visual displays in these species of Litoria include leg-flicking as well as slow deliberate movements of the hindlimbs (e.g. extension of the hindlimbs outwards and/or backwards) (Richards and James 1992). This paper presents observations of hand-waving, foot- flagging and leg-flicking semaphore behaviour in another three Litoria species: L. pearsoniana and L. cooloolensis from eastern Australia, and L. iris from Papua New Guinea. Additional observations of visual displays in L. fallax (including foot-flagging and leg-flicking) are also provided.

Membrane binding and perturbation studies of the antimicrobial peptides caerin, citropin, and maculatin

Citropin 1.1, maculatin 1.1, and caerin 1.1 are short antibacterial cationic peptides from the skin glands of the Australian tree frog Litoria species. Several analogues have been synthesized to give a better insight into the relationship between the structure of the peptides and their antibacterial and haemolytic activity. Binding studies using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor together with a vesicle-capture sensor chip have been used to investigate selectivity of the peptides and their analogues for 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (DMPG) and 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) vesicles, as well as for vesicles made from lipid extracts from Escherichia coli and bovine brain. Data obtained for membrane selectivity using natural lipid extracts show better correlation with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values against Gram-positive bacteria and haemolytic activity than that obtained using synthetic DMPG and DMPC. Electron microscopy and membrane leakage studies using Gram-positive bacteria gave further insight into the membrane disruption properties of the peptides. For maculatin 1.1, it was found that the central proline residue, which is responsible for a bend in the alpha-helical structure, is essential not only for the antibacterial activity but also for binding, and perturbation of membranes. The caerin analogues showed only small variations in their MIC values and membrane binding. In contrast, for citropin 1.1, the analogue replacing the aspartate with a lysine showed the lowest MIC against Gram-positive bacteria and best membrane binding to E. coli lipid extracts, coinciding with an increased hydrophobic moment of the peptide. These data give further insight into these antimicrobial natural products, toward the development and evaluation of these and other analogues as potential antibiotics.

A new species of Litoria (Anura: Hylidae) with a highly distinctive tadpole from the north-western Kimberley region of Western Australia

A new species of Litoria (Anura: Hylidae) with a highly distinctive tadpole from the north-western Kimberley region of Western Australia

Skin peptide defences of New Zealand frogs against chytridiomycosis

AbstractOver the past few decades, amphibian populations have undergone drastic declines on a global scale. Declines in many anuran populations have been linked to the emergent skin‐invasive amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Antimicrobial peptides in the skin are thought to act as important components of the innate immune system that may protect some species from infectious diseases. The four archaic species of Leiopelma in New Zealand are of great conservation concern and a severe population crash of Leiopelma archeyi between 1996 and 2001 has been tentatively linked with the outbreak of Bd. Here, we investigated the in vitro activity of skin secretions of six frog species in New Zealand against Bd zoospore growth. The activity of skin secretions produced by frogs in the wild varied significantly between species, with those of Le. archeyi being the most active. The skin secretions of native Leiopelmatid species showed greater Bd zoospore inhibition (31.0–71.9%) than the naturalized Litoria species (17.4–18.2%). Leiopelma archeyi has the most active peptides, even though it is the only native species with known susceptibility to Bd infections.

A new species of Litoria (Anura: Hylidae) with a highly distinctive tadpole from the north-western Kimberley region of Western Australia

We describe a small hylid frog species with a highly distinctive tadpole from the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. The new taxon is morphologically very similar to Litoria meiriana but can be differentiated using a combination of adult and larval morphology and male calls. Tadpoles of the new taxon can be readily differentiated from those of L. meiriana by their unique black, gold and red pigment patterns and the continuous papillary border around the oral disc. Advertisement calls of L. aurifera sp. nov. are longer, have more pulses, have more marked frequency modulation and are produced at a lower rate than those of L. meiriana. Litoria aurifera sp. nov. is only known from locations up to about 100 km south of the Prince Regent River and is associated with small creeks on massive sandstone escarpments, while L. meiriana is widespread in escarpments across northern Western Australia and the northern part of the Northern Territory.

A new species of Litoria (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae) from the foothills of the Foja Mountains, Papua Province, Indonesia

A new species of Litoria (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae) from the foothills of the Foja Mountains, Papua Province, Indonesia

A new species of Litoria (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae) from the foothills of the Foja Mountains, Papua Province, Indonesia

Litoria gasconi sp. nov. is described from low, forest-covered ridges on the southern edge of the Foja Mountains, Papua Province, Indonesia. It is most similar to Litoria multiplica (Tyler, 1964) but can be differentiated from that species and all other described Litoria by a unique combination of characters including moderate size (males 39.3–41.6 SVL), green dorsum with yellow spots in life, relatively large eyes (EYE/SVL 0.12–0.15), dermal ridges below the vent and on the posterior edge of both fore and hindlimbs, complete absence of blue thigh and lateral colouration, and its unique advertisement call consisting of a single soft, distinctly pulsed chirp. New data on the morphology and ecology of the superficially similar and poorly known species Litoria multiplica are also presented. Recent surveys in the Foja Mountains have revealed a diverse frog fauna with numerous unrecognised or poorly known taxa; these ranges are likely to be a previously unrecognised and largely unexplored centre of tropical vertebrate endemism.

Skin peptides from anurans of the Litoria rubella Group: sequence determination using electrospray mass spectrometry. Opioid activity of two major peptides

Many species of frogs of the genus Litoria secrete bioactive peptides from their skin glands. These peptides are normally host-defence compounds and may have one, or more of the following activities; smooth muscle contraction, analgesic, antimicrobial, antiviral, lymphocyte proliferator (immunomodulator) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) inactivation. Two frog species of the Litoria rubella Group that have been studied before, namely, Litoria electrica and Litoria rubella, are different from other species of the genus Litoria in that they produce small peptides that show neither membrane, lymphocyte nor nNOS activity. In this study we have used electrospray mass spectrometry together with Edman sequencing to identify eight skin peptides of the third member of this Group, Litoria dentata: surprisingly, none of these peptides show activity in our biological screening program. However, two major peptides (FPWL-NH(2) and FPWP-NH(2)) from L. electrica and L. rubella are opioids at the micromolar concentration.

Gastrointestinal helminths from fifteen species of Litoria and Nyctimystes (Anura: Hylidae) from Papua New Guinea

Three hundred and ninety‐nine individuals representing 10 species of Litoria and five species of Nyctimystes (Hylidae), L. arfakiana, L. bibonius, L. eucnemis, L. genimaculata, L. impura, L. infrafrenata, L. modica, L. nasuta, L. thesaurensis, L. wollastoni, N. gularis, N. kubori, N. papua, N. pulcher and N. semipalmatus collected in Papua New Guinea were examined for helminths. Gravid individuals representing one species of Monogenea (Parapolystoma bulliense), one species of Digenea (Mesocoelium monas), 18 species of Nematoda (Aplectana krausi, Aplectana macintoshi, Aplectana zweifeli, Cosmocerca novaeguineae, Falcaustra papuensis, Icosiella papuensis, Maxvachonia adamsoni, Maxvachonia ewersi, Meteterakis crombiei, Moaciria moraveci, Ochoterenella papuensis, Oswaldocruzia bakeri, Parapharyngdon maplestoni, Parathelandros allisoni, Parathelandros andersoni, Physalopteroides milnensis, Rhabdias australiensis, Seuratascaris numidica) and one species of Acanthocephala (Acanthocephalus bufonis) were found. Also included were immature forms representing one species of Cestoda (as a metacestode), three species of Nematoda (Abbreviata sp., Rictulariidae gen. sp., Ascarididae gen. sp. in cysts), one species of Acanthocephala (unidentified cystacanth), and one species of Pentastomida [Raillietiella sp. (nymph)]. The mean helminth species richness for infected hosts was 1.3±0.6 SD (range one to three species). Sixty‐seven new host records and two new locality records are reported.

Two new hylid frogs (Anura: Hylidae: Litoria) from western New Guinea

Two new Litoria species with affinities to the L. nigropunctata species-group are described on the basis of recently collected material from the base of the Wandammen Peninsula and from the Onin Peninsula, western Papua (formerly Irian Jaya), Province of Indonesia. The descriptions include mainly data on morphology, bioacoustics and osteology.

A new large green species of Litoria (Anura: Hylidae) from western New Guinea

A new large green species of Litoria (Anura: Hylidae) from western New Guinea

A new large green species of Litoria (Anura: Hylidae) from western New Guinea

A new species of large green treefrog of the genus Litoria is described from the Mamberamo Basin of western New Guinea. It can be distinguished from all congeners by a suite of characteristics including moderately large size (male SVL 56–68 mm), moderate finger webbing, labial stripe absent or very indistinct, and lateral body surfaces and webbing with distinctive light purple colouration. Morphologically, the new species is most similar to Litoria sanguinolenta and, to a lesser extent, L. infrafrenata. However, the advertisement call, a very long series of monotonously repeated, distinctly pulsed notes, differs from the calls of these two species.

Is the Australian Striped Burrowing Frog Litoria alboguttata a member of Litoria or Cyclorana? A profiling study using skin peptides as a probe

SummaryThe skin secretion of the Striped Burrowing Frog Litoria alboguttata contains the peptides named guttatins 1, 2 and 3. The sequences of these peptides are as follows:- guttatin 1 (GLLDSVL-NH2); guttatin 2 (GLLDNVL-NH2) and guttatin 3 (GLLDTVKGLN-NH2). This peptide profile is different from those of congeners so far studied in that it contains neither neuropeptides nor antibiotic peptides. In contrast, the peptide profile of L. alboguttata is similar to that of Cyclorana australis. In particular, the two peptides in the skin secretion of C. australis correspond to guttatin 1 and GLLDGTVL-NH2. Guttatin 1 is not present in the secretions of the other 22 Litoria species that we have investigated. Peptide profiling indicates that Litoria alboguttata is more closely related to the genus Cyclorana than Litoria.

Sperm ultrastructure of the Brazilian Amazon poison frogs Epipedobates trivittatus and Epipedobates hahneli (Anura, Dendrobatidae)

AbstractThe sperm ultrastructure of Epipedobates trivittatus and E. hahneli is described. The spermatological characteristics are identical in both species, except for the extension of the acrosomal vesicle. The structure of the acrosomal complex is shared with species of the Bufonoidea neobatrachian lineage, which differs from the condition observed in species included in the ranoid lineage. The phylogenetic significance of the mitochondrial collar, also seen in Eubufonoidea groups, is still unclear. Also the significance of the alternative mitochondrial arrangement seen here is unclear. The perpendicular arrangement of the centrioles is also shared with the Bufonoidea and is considered a synapomorphic condition. An expanded undulating membrane and the absence of a juxtaxonemal fibre appear to be apomorphic characteristics of dendrobatid species, as also observed (homoplastically) for species of Litoria and Cyclorana. However, the notable expansion of the undulating membrane appears to be an autapomorphy of Dendrobatidae frogs. The ultrastructural data presented here do not support the proposed placement of E. trivittatus in a separate genus.

Maculatin 1.1, an anti-microbial peptide from the Australian tree frog, Litoria genimaculata solution structure and biological activity.

The dorsal glands of Australian tree frogs from the Litoria species contain a diversity of antibiotic peptides that forms part of the defence system of the animal. Here, the antibiotic activity and structure of maculatin 1.1, a 21 amino acid peptide from Litoria genimaculata, are compared. The activity data on maculatin 1.1 and a series of its analogues imply that the mechanism of action of maculatin 1.1 involves binding to, and subsequent lysis of, the bacterial cell membrane. The structure of maculatin 1.1 was determined using NMR spectroscopy in a trifluoroethanol/water mixture and when incorporated into dodecylphosphocholine micelles. Under both conditions, the peptide adopts a very similar conformation, i.e. a helical structure with a central kink in the vicinity of Pro15. The kink allows the peptide to adopt a well-defined amphipathic conformation along its entire length. The similar structures determined under both solvent conditions imply that structures of membrane-interacting peptides in trifluoroethanol/water mixtures are representative of those adopted in a membrane environment, e.g. when incorporated into micelles. The synthetic Ala15 analogue of maculatin 1.1 has markedly reduced activity and its NMR-derived structure is a well-defined helix, which lacks the central kink and flexibility of the parent molecule. It is concluded that the kink is important for full biological activity of the peptide, probably because it allows maximum amphipathicity of the peptide to facilitate interaction with the membrane. The structure of maculatin 1.1 is compared with a related peptide, caerin 1.1 [Wong, H., Bowie, J.H. and Carver, J.A. (1997) Eur. J. Biochem. 247, 545-557], which has an additional central proline residue and enhanced central flexibility compared with maculatin 1.1. The role of central flexibility within antibiotic peptides in their interaction with bacterial membranes is discussed.

Intraspecific phylogeography in the sedge frog Litoria fallax (Hylidae) indicates pre-Pleistocene vicariance of an open forest species from eastern Australia.

The eastern sedge frog Litoria fallax (Anura: Hylidae) is common throughout the open forests and coastal wetlands along the eastern coast of Australia. Its range spans four biogeographical zones from northern Queensland to central New South Wales. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes of 87 L. fallax individuals from 22 populations identified two major mtDNA lineages, differing by 11-12% sequence divergence. The two clades of haplotypes were separated by the McPherson Range, indicating that this mesic upland area has acted as a major long-term barrier to gene flow for this open forest species. Slight isolation by distance was observed within both the northern and southern lineages but was insufficient to explain the large sequence divergence between lineages. Within the northern lineage, additional phylogeographical structure was observed across the relatively dry Burdekin Gap which separates Atherton populations from all populations in the central and eastern Queensland biogeographical zones. There was less phylogeographical structure in the southern lineage suggesting historical gene flow across the drier portions of the Great Dividing Range. These data, together with recent observations of deep phylogeographical divergences in rainforest-restricted Litoria suggest that the east coast hylids of Australia represent an old (Tertiary) radiation. Individual species of Litoria have been strongly affected by climatic and ecological barriers to gene flow during the Quaternary.

Correlations of cranial morphology, ecology, and evolution in Australian suctorial tadpoles of the genera Litoria and Nyctimystes (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae: Pelodryadinae).

Suctorial anuran larvae are highly specialized for living in fast-flowing waters, using their oral disks as adhesive organs to attach to the substrate. The cranial musculoskeletal structure of suctorial larvae of Litoria nannotis, L. rheocola, and Nyctimystes dayi (Hylidae: Pelodryadinae) were compared with congenerics with pond-type larvae (L. caerulea, L. genimaculata, L. xanthomera). Data from two other neobatrachian species with suctorial larvae (Boophis sp., Hyla armata) as well as published descriptions were taken into account. Suctorial tadpoles evolved several times independently in the Neobatrachia and share various features, irrespective of their phylogenetic position. These include the following. Cornua trabeculae are expanded anteriorly and sometimes fused. The lower jaws are robust. The greatest width of the skull is at the level of the jaw articulation. The upper jaw cartilages are partially or fully fused. The palatoquadrate is robust and connected to the skull by a wide commissura quadratocranialis anterior, processus oticus, processus basalis (in some species), and processus ascendens (vestigial or absent in some species). A processus ventralis quadrati provides an extended area of origin for the m. orbitohyoideus. The m. rectus abdominis inserts far anterior and acts on the cranium. The insertion of the epaxial musculature is shifted anteriorly to the anterior parts of the otic capsule. The mm. diaphragmatobranchialis and rectus cervicis cross at their origins. The origin of the m. levator mandibulae anterior has shifted posteriorly. The branchial basket is relatively small and the ceratohyal area is large. Multiple convergent evolution of these features suggests that they may be causally associated with the suctorial mode of larval life. Aside from these characters, however, the suctorial and pond-type neobatrachian species are remarkably similar in their jaw musculature and hyobranchial musculoskeletal composition. In some features, Ascaphus truei differs significantly from the neobatrachian suctorial species, indicating the influence of the historically distant separation of the two taxa. A novel modification of the upper jaw abduction mechanism has evolved in L. nannotis, L. rheocola, and N. dayi. It involves an adrostral cartilage as a pushing-rod element. This mechanism and unique structural similarities of the cartilago labialis superior gives support to the preliminary assumption that the nannotis species group is more closely related to the suctorial Nyctimystes dayi than it is to other Litoria species with pond-type larvae. Suctorial larvae presumably were present in the most recent common ancestor of the Litoria nannotis group and Nyctimystes dayi.