Sharp-snouted Torrent Frog
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The sharp snouted day frog (''Taudactylus acutirostris''), or sharp-nosed torrent frog, is an
extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
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
Myobatrachidae Myobatrachidae, commonly known as Australian ground frogs or Australian water frogs, is a family of frogs found in Australia and New Guinea. Members of this family vary greatly in size, from species less than long, to the second-largest frog in ...
. It was
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
to upland rainforest streams in north-eastern
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
in Australia.


Description

It was a diurnal, conspicuous and locally abundant species, but a rapid population decline began in 1988. It is considered endangered under Queensland's
Nature Conservation Act 1992 The ''Nature Conservation Act 1992'' is an act of the Parliament of Queensland, Australia, that, together with subordinate legislation, provides for the legislative protection of Queensland's threatened biota. As originally published, it prov ...
. The primary cause for its rapid decline is believed to be the disease
chytridiomycosis Chytridiomycosis ( ) is an infectious disease in amphibians, caused by the chytrid fungi '' Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis'' and '' Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans''. Chytridiomycosis has been linked to dramatic population declines or extinc ...
.Schloegel, Hero, Berger, Speare, McDonald, & Daszak. 2006. ''The decline of the Sharp-snouted Day Frog (Taudactylus acutirostris): The First Documented Case of Extinction by Infection in a Free-Ranging Wildlife Species?'' EcoHealth 3: 35-40
PDF available
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References

Taudactylus Amphibians of Queensland Nature Conservation Act endangered biota Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians described in 1916 Frogs of Australia Taxa named by Lars Gabriel Andersson {{Myobatrachidae-stub