''Asterophrys turpicola'' (common name: New Guinea bush frog) is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

in the family

Microhylidae The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread family (biology), family of frogs. The 683 species are in 57 genera and 11 subfamilies. Evolution A molecular phylogenetic study by van der Meijden, et al. ...

. It is widespread in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

and found in both West Papua (

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

) and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

, although it appears to be absent from the eastern half of Papua New Guinea. It also occurs on the island of

Yapen Yapen (also Japen, Jobi) is an island of Papua (province), Papua, Indonesia. The Yapen Strait separates Yapen and the Biak Islands to the north. It is in Cenderawasih Bay off the north-western coast of the island of New Guinea. To the west is ...

, off the north-western coast of New Guinea. The species is known for its aggressive behaviour: it can attack and bite viciously.

Description

''Asterophrys turpicola'' grows to a maximum size of in

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the mos ...

. The head is very broad, as wide as the body. There is an elongated, spine-like tubercle on each eyelid, and two prominent tubercles on the lower jaw. The tongue is blue. The fingers and toes have expanded discs. The colouration is drab with shades of brown and black, but the hands and feet are pigmented. The limbs and sides of the body bears warts.

Behaviour

''Asterophrys turpicola'' shows unusual defensive behaviours: when threatened, the frog takes an aggressive posture, inflating its body and opening its mouth widely, thus exposing its blue tongue. It may also attack the enemy, leaping forward with its mouth open and biting the potential predator; it may hold its grip for several minutes. The related '' Asterophrys leucopus'' does not show these behaviours. Males

call Call or Calls may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Call (poker), a bet matching an opponent's * Call, in the game of contract bridge, a bid, pass, double, or redouble in the bidding stage Music and dance * Call (band), from L ...

from below the surface of the forest floor. The call is a short, ascending trill.

Habitat and conservation

The species' natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s are lowland and foothill rainforests at elevations below

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. It also adapts to disturbed and degraded environments, including suburban gardens. ''Asterophrys turpicola'' is patchily distributed but can be locally abundant. No significant threats to it have been identified. It probably occurs in several protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q138829 Asterophrys Amphibians of Papua New Guinea Amphibians of Western New Guinea Amphibians described in 1837 Taxa named by Hermann Schlegel Taxonomy articles created by Polbot