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 ...
s found in
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
. It is
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...
, being represented by the single species, ''Myobatrachus gouldii'', also known as the turtle frog. It gets its name from the resemblance to a shell-less chelonian, which is a type of turtle. It is described to have an extremely small narrow head, short limbs, and a round body. They can get up to long. Anatomy studies of this species say that it has an incredibly large pectoral girdle for its size. Due to its unusual morphology, the features of this creature are thought to originate with old frog lineages from the early
Tertiary
Tertiary (from Latin, meaning 'third' or 'of the third degree/order..') may refer to:
* Tertiary period, an obsolete geologic period spanning from 66 to 2.6 million years ago
* Tertiary (chemistry), a term describing bonding patterns in organic ch ...
or late
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic Era is the Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Period (geology), Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian r ...
eras.
Habitat
The turtle frog can be found in between Geraldton and Fitzgerald River in the
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
region, in Southwestern Australia. This area is mainly semi-arid, so the frogs have adapted to suit this region and this region only. They are not found or recorded to have been found in any other place or region. Despite only living in one region of the world, these frogs are currently of "least concern" to become endangered. Like normal frogs, the turtle frog comes out of the ground and into the open when it rains or storms.
These frogs have developed short muscular limbs to help them dig into the sand but, unlike most frogs, they dig forward, like a turtle. They feed on termites, so the adaptation of the muscular limbs and large pectoral girdle is useful when trying to penetrate a termite mound. They do not need to live near standing pools of water, as they undergo the entire metamorphosis stage within their eggs. This means that they leave their eggs fully formed, skipping the tadpole stage (an unusual life cycle shared by a few other frog genera, e.g. ''
Eleutherodactylus
''Eleutherodactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae.Hedges, S. B., W. E. Duellman, and M. P. Heinicke . 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and c ...
,
Arenophryne
''Arenophryne'' is a small genus of Myobatrachidae, Myobatrachid frogs from coastal Western Australia. Common names sandhill frogs and Australian dumpy frogs have been coined for it.
Both species live in sand dune habitat of the Shark Bay region ...
,'' and other members its genus). Their closest relatives, among the few who share most of the turtle frog's traits, are sandhill frogs and forest toadlets.
Diet
The turtle frog's diet is composed exclusively of termites. It has adapted to this diet by constructing its home near termite mounds. This allows it to get plentiful food, with an average frog to be able to eat approximately 400 termites in a single meal.
Mating
Mating behavior begins with the male frog calling. Calling and pairing occur primarily in the late spring. When a pair of turtle frogs select each other as mates, they retire to the base of their burrow and remain underground with their mate over the summer. The egg deposit does not occur until late summer or early autumn. Burrows may be as much as 1.3 meters (4 ft 3 in) deep. Breeding takes place within the burrow several months later. When the females lay eggs, they lay up to 50, and each can measure 7.5 millimeters (0.30 in) in diameter. The eggs undergo direct development inside the egg capsule.
Related species
The albumins of frogs in the ''
Arenophryne
''Arenophryne'' is a small genus of Myobatrachidae, Myobatrachid frogs from coastal Western Australia. Common names sandhill frogs and Australian dumpy frogs have been coined for it.
Both species live in sand dune habitat of the Shark Bay region ...
'' and ''Myobatrachus'' genera have unique physical traits, suggesting that they share an evolutionary ancestor. Their common ancestor may originate in the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...