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https://theconversation.com/gliding-treefrogs-mini-males-and-burrowing-frogs-in-trees-why-melanesia-is-the-worlds-tropical-island-frog-hotspot-192631>
"A chocolate treefrog that looks like a Freddo. Burrowing frogs which live in
trees. Long-nosed frogs named after Pinocchio. Frogs which go straight from egg
to froglet without stopping at tadpole. And large treefrogs which can glide
from tree to tree.
All these and many more are found only in Melanesia. This tiny region in the
South Pacific is a global hotspot of cultural and biological diversity. And we
still don’t know the full extent of its extreme biological riches.
Centred on the world’s largest tropical island, New Guinea, Melanesia is home
to 534 types of frog. As our new research shows, that’s 7% of all the world’s
frog species living on just 0.7% of the world’s land. And there are more to
come. Almost 40% of these frogs have only been scientifically described in the
last two decades.
Hundreds more species will likely be added to the tally, as we know of at least
190 species not yet formally described. The final tally will be over 700, with
frogs colonising every possible niche. But their sheer evolutionary
inventiveness also puts them at risk, with many species restricted to tiny
ranges."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
