''Callulops boettgeri'', also known as Boettger's Callulops frog, is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...

in the family

Microhylidae The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread family of frogs. The 683 species are in 63 genera and 11 subfamilies, which is the largest number of genera of any frog family. Evolution A molecular phylo ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Halmahera Halmahera, formerly known as Jilolo, Gilolo, or Jailolo, is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia, and Sofifi, the capital of the province, is located on the west coast of the island. H ...

in the

Maluku Islands The Maluku Islands (; Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Maluku'') or the Moluccas () are an archipelago in the east of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located ...

(the Moluccas) of Indonesia. It is only known from the

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of seve ...

collected from Galela in 1894. The genus-level placement of this little known frog has changed many times, and it is still unclear whether it should be placed in some other genus.

Etymology

The specific name ''boettgeri'' honours

Oskar Boettger Oskar Boettger (german: Böttger; 31 March 1844 – 25 September 1910) was a German zoologist who was a native of Frankfurt am Main. He was an uncle of the noted malacologist Caesar Rudolf Boettger (1888–1976). From 1863 to 1866 he studied at ...

, a German zoologist. Boettger was the first to study the type specimen, which he identified as ''Phrynixalus montanus'' (=''

Cophixalus montanus ''Cophixalus montanus'' is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Halmahera in the Maluku Islands, Indonesia; record from New Guinea was based on misidentification. Its natural habitat In ecology, the term habita ...

'').

Description

The holotype (sex unspecified) measures about 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 eyes are large and protuberant. The tympanum is somewhat distinct. The fingers are long and bear relatively large discs. The toes discs are also well-developed but smaller than the finger ones. No webbing is present. The dorsal ground color is brown. There is a yellowish-white stripe running from snout to cloacal opening. Dark dorsal markings include a W-shaped mark in the scapular region and dark flecks on each side of the central light stripe. Large, rounded reddish-brown markings are present on the sides of the head and body. The ventral side is light brown, with chestnut-brown spots on the chin, throat, chest, and undersides of limbs.

Habitat and conservation

The holotype was found under moss at the foot of a tree at an elevation of about

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

. This species presumably lives in rainforest and breeds by direct development, (i.e, there is no free-living larval stage), as other ''Callulops'' (and asterophryinids in general). Threats to this species are unknown. The type locality is not within a protected area.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2698390 boettgeri Frogs of Asia Amphibians of Indonesia Endemic fauna of Indonesia Fauna of Halmahera Amphibians described in 1901 Taxa named by Lajos Méhelÿ Taxonomy articles created by Polbot