''Copiula derongo'' is a species of

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

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 elsew ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

and found in both

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''derongo'' refers to its type locality, the village of Derongo in the

Western Province (Papua New Guinea) Western Province is a coastal province in southwestern Papua New Guinea, bordering the Indonesian province of Papua. The provincial capital is Daru. The largest town in the province is Tabubil. Other major settlements are Kiunga, Ningerum, Olsob ...

. Based on molecular evidence, it was transferred from ''

Austrochaperina ''Austrochaperina'' is a genus of microhylid frogs found on New Guinea, New Britain and Australia. Taxonomy The genus was removed from the synonymy of '' Sphenophryne'' by Richard Zweifel in 2000. However, as currently defined, it might not be ...

'' to ''

Copiula ''Copiula'' is a genus of Microhylidae, microhylid frogs endemic to New Guinea. The common name Mehely frogs has been coined for them. They are leaf-litter inhabitants. Taxonomy ''Copiula'' is probably not monophyletic. Some former ''Austrochape ...

'' in 2016.

Description

Males measure up to and females up to 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 most c ...

, although the maximum size varies geographically. The dorsal ground colour is olive to reddish brown, sometimes with dark speckles. In most males (and in some females) the tip of the snout is much paler than the rest of the head. The eyes are small and the tympanum is obscure.

Habitat and conservation

Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and 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 ...

s are tropical forests. It breeds in mud cavities. It is locally common and occurs in remote areas with little human influence, and is therefore not considered threatened.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q28034748 derongo Endemic fauna of New Guinea Amphibians of Western New Guinea Amphibians of Papua New Guinea Taxa named by Richard G. Zweifel Amphibians described in 2000 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN