Spotted-thighed frog

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Spotted-thighed frog
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Pelodryadidae
Genus: Ranoidea
Species:
R. cyclorhynchus
Binomial name
Ranoidea cyclorhynchus
(Boulenger, 1882)
Synonyms
  • Litoria cyclorhyncha (Boulenger, 1882)
  • Litoria punctata (Duméril, 1853)
  • Litoria marmorata (Duméril, 1853)
  • Hyla hyposticta (Cope, 1866)
  • Hyla dimolops (Cope, 1866)
  • Hyla thyposticta (Cope, 1870)
  • Hyla aurea var. cyclorhynchus (Boulenger, 1882)
  • Litoria punctata (Duméril, 1853)
  • Hyla cyclorhynchus (Parker, 1938)
  • Litoria cyclorhynchus (Tyler, 1971)
  • Ranoidea cyclorhyncha (Wells and Wellington, 1985)
  • Litoria cyclorhyncha (Barker, Grigg, and Tyler, 1995)
  • Dryopsophus cyclorhynchus (Duellman, Marion, and Hedges, 2016)
  • Ranoidea cyclorhynchus (Dubois and Frétey, 2016)[1]

The spotted-thighed frog or spotted-thighed tree frog (Litoria cyclorhyncha) is a tree frog from southwestern Australia.[2]

Spotted-thighed frogs are dark green or brown with yellow spots on their backs. They have bright yellow spots on their legs. It looks like its relative, the motorbike frog.[3][4]

By 2020, the spotted-thighed frog had moved to southern Australia, where it is an invasive specie. Humans carried the spotted-thighed frog to southern Australia by accident. People have seen spotted-thighed frogs in Streaky Bay, the Eyre Peninsula and at the airport in Adelaide.[5]

Scientists say the spotted-thighed frog is dangerous to the environment because can eat many different kinds of food, even mice and other frogs. This means it can kill the frogs that usually live in South Australia, either by eating all their food or by eating the frogs themselves.[2]

According to ecologist Christine Taylor, "This frog is an indiscriminate eating machine that will devour just about anything it can fit into its mouth."[5]

References[change | change source]

  1. "Ranoidea cyclorhyncha (Boulenger, 1882)". American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Christine M. Taylor; Gunnar Keppel; Shaun O'Sullivan; Stefan Peters; Gregory D. Kerr; Craig R. Williams (April 9, 2020). "Indiscriminate feeding by an alien population of the spotted-thighed frog (Litoria cyclorhyncha) in southern Australia and potential impacts on native biodiversity". Australian Journal of Zoology. 67 (2): 59. doi:10.1071/ZO19042. S2CID 216373971. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  3. "Spotted-thighed Frog". Western Australia Museum. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  4. Jean-Marc Hero; Dale Roberts (2004). "Litoria cyclorhyncha". 2004. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T41086A10386324. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T41086A10386324.en. Retrieved June 6, 2020. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Alien frog invasion wreaks havoc on natural habitat". Eurekalert. June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.