Mount Ballow mountain frog

The Mount Ballow mountain frog (Philoria knowlesi) is a species of frog in the family Limnodynastidae.[1][2] It is endemic to eastern Australia, straddling the border of Queensland and New South Wales. It is known only from the central and western McPherson Ranges, in the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Site.[3]

Mount Ballow mountain frog
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Limnodynastidae
Genus: Philoria
Species:
P. knowlesi
Binomial name
Philoria knowlesi
Mahony, Hines, Mahony, and Donnellan, 2022

It closely resembles nearby Philoria species, and was only described as a distinct species in 2022, following geographic sampling that found significant genetic divergence. It is named after Sydney environmentalist Ross Knowles for his contributions to the study of Australian frogs.[4][5][6]

This species breeds in bogs, seepages, and the banks of headwater streams. As with other members of the genus, it has a unique breeding strategy where the male creates a small breeding chamber that the tadpoles develop in.[6]

Although it is found in some protected areas such as Mount Barney National Park, it is highly threatened by invasive species, habitat loss, and potentially chytridomycosis, and its range has the potential to shrink significantly due to climate change. A significant portion of its habitat was burned in the 2019–20 Australian bushfires, although surviving frogs were found at burned sites. It has been proposed to classify it as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.[2][7]

References
  1. "Philoria knowlesi Mahony, Hines, Mahony, and Donnellan, 2022".
  2. Mahony, Michael J.; Hines, Harry B.; Bertozzi, Terry; Mahony, Stephen V.; Newell, David A.; Clarke, John M.; Donnellan, Stephen C. (2022-02-25). "A new species of Philoria (Anura: Limnodynastidae) from the uplands of the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Area of eastern Australia". Zootaxa. 5104 (2): 209–241. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5104.2.3. ISSN 1175-5334.
  3. Mahony, Stephen (24 June 2022). "Unravelling the frog diversity of Gondwanan rainforests". The Australian Museum. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  4. "Philoria knowlesi". www.frogid.net.au. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  5. "New frog species discovered in Australia – and it's already endangered". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 2022-04-30. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  6. "New mountainfrog species identified in Southeast Queensland". Department of Environment and Science, Queensland. 2022-04-30. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  7. University, Southern Cross. "Frogs in hot water: Habitat shrinking for Gondwana rainforest mountain frogs". phys.org. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
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