Philoria kundagungan (Ingram & Corben, 1975)

Knowles, Ross, Mahony, Michael, Armstrong, Jan & Donnellan, Stephen, 2004, Systematics of Sphagnum Frogs of the Genus Philoria (Anura: Myobatrachidae) in Eastern Australia, With the Description of Two New Species, Records of the Australian Museum 56 (1), pp. 57-74 : 68-69

Philoria kundagungan (Ingram & Corben, 1975)

Type data. The holotype is an adult female, QM J23944 , collected by C.J. Corben and A.K. Smyth on 3 January 1974 at Mistake Mountains , Queensland, 27°53'S 152°21'E .

Other material examined. See Appendix.

Diagnosis. Relatively small adult size (SVL to 28 mm); dark head stripe absent or, if present, narrow; abdomen usually either yellow or red with smaller patches of either colour, and males with poorly developed nuptial pad on first finger ( Fig. 4 ).

Description. A small squat frog with a robust, pear-shaped body. Adult males (n = 15) measure 23 to 28 mm and females (n = 15) 23.5 to 28 mm SVL. Head shorter than wide (HL/HW mean 0.69, range 0.62–0.79). Head length approximately one-quarter snout to vent length (HL/SVL mean 0.24, range 0.21–0.28). Hind limbs short (TL/SVL mean 0.41, range 0.38–0.46). Ratio of eye to naris distance to internarial span variable (EN/IN mean 0.63, range 0.54– 0.71). Dorsal surface varies from either yellow, orange, bright red to black with patches of alternative colours. In about half of specimens, a pair of raised ridges is present on dorsum, starting behind eye and continuing posteriorly about a third of way along dorsum. Dorsal skin either smooth or with raised “warts”, with frequency of “warty” specimens increasing to the south. Ventral surface variably immaculate yellow, yellow with red patches on either throat, abdomen or lateral aspects of abdomen, or yellow with red and brown patches with latter speckled with fine white dots. Undersurfaces of limbs range from yellow to yellow with red or brown wash, latter with small irregular shaped white marks. A black patch over cloaca only or a black patch over cloaca and adjacent upper thighs or entire upper thighs. Fingers and toes unwebbed. Tympanum indistinct. A dark facial stripe is present in about half the specimens running from near tip of snout, through loreal region below canthus rostralis, crossing eye to base of forelimb. Fingers in decreasing order of length 3>2>4>1. Toes in decreasing order of length 4>3>5>2>1. Nuptial pad on first finger of males weakly developed. Spatulae on first and second fingers of females. Vomerine teeth behind level of choanae.

Dimensions of holotype (mm). SVL 23.5 , HL 6.8, HW 8.75, TL 9.35, E 2.7, EN 1.5, IN 1.45 .

Distribution and abundance. Found along the ranges from the Mistake Mountains west of Brisbane south to Beaury SF approximately 15 km S of the New South Wales – Queensland border (Ingram & Corben, 1975; AMS and QM registers, 1993). The species is known from 27 specimens from only eight localities.Although Ingram & Corben (1975) make no reference to the abundance of P. kundagungan , the small number of known localities and specimens suggest that it is not common. No new locations were found for P. kundagungan during the course of the present study.

Conservation status. Listed as rare under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992, and under Schedule 2 of the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995 as vulnerable. It has a much smaller range than both P. loveridgei and P. sphagnicolus ; it is known from fewer locations, and less specimens have been deposited in museum collections (Ingram & Corben, 1975; Queensland Museum records, 1993; Australian Museum records, 1993). It is known for certain from only eight locations within a very small range. Only three of the known localities, Mistake Mountains NP, Mt Superbus Main Range NP and Cunninghams Gap NP, all in Queensland, are within the national parks estate. All other localities are in state forests. Recruitment was observed at the four locations sampled in the present study. The major threat is likely to be loss or damage to habitat through logging operations. During field work for the present study, logging was observed in the immediate vicinity to P. kundagungan habitat at Beaury and Koreelah SF, NSW

Figures

Fig. 4. Photographs of living specimens of: (A,B) Philoria kundagungan—adult males, Koreelah State Forest (KOR); (C,D) P. pughi holotype, an adult male (AMS R152706), and an adult female (ABTC 25369) from Cedar Creek Trail, Washpool NP, NSW (WAS); (E,F) P. richmondensis—holotype, an adult male (AMS R152707), and an adult female (ABTC 25225) from Bungdoozle Road, Richmond Range NP, NSW (RR2).