Ranoidea aurea (Lesson, 1829)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Hylidae > Subfamily: Pelodryadinae > Genus: Ranoidea > Species: Ranoidea aurea

Rana aurea Lesson, 1829, in Duperrey (ed.), Voyage Coquille, Zool., Atlas (Livr. 11): fig. 2 (by indiciation). Syntypes: MNHNP 4857 and 537, according to Roux-Estève, 1979, Bull. Trim. Soc. Geol. Normandie et Amies Mus. Harve, 66: 26, and including animal figured in the original; RMNH 1814, considered a possibly syntype by Gassó Miracle, van den Hoek Ostende, and Arntzen, 2007, Zootaxa, 1482: 54; MNHNP 4857 designated lectotype by Roux-Estève, 1979, Bull. Trim. Soc. Geol. Normandie et Amies Mus. Harve, 66: 26 (the other syntype representing Litoria adelaidensis according to this author). Type locality: "la rivière Macquarie a Bathurst, au-delà des montagnes Bleues", New South Wales, Australia, according to Lesson, 1831, in Duperrey (ed.), Zool., Voyage Coquille, 2 (Pt. 1), Livr. 25: 60; lectotype from Port Jackson (= Sydney), New South Wales, Australia.

Ranoidea jacksoniensis Tschudi, 1838, Classif. Batr.: 35, 76. Syntypes: MNHNP and RMNH by original designation; including possibly MNHNP 537 (a representative of Litoria adelaidensis, and a syntype of both Hyla aurea and Hyla jacksoniensis, according to Roux-Estève, 1979, Bull. Trim. Soc. Geol. Normandie et Amies Mus. Harve, 66: 26), 4857-58; RMNH 1721 considered a possible syntype by Gassó Miracle, van den Hoek Ostende, and Arntzen, 2007, Zootaxa, 1482: 56; MNHNP 4858 regarded in error as holotype by Guibé, 1950 "1948", Cat. Types Amph. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat.: 21. Holotype reported to be MNHNP 4857 by Duellman, 1977, Das Tierreich, 95: 116. Type locality: "Perón auf Neu-Holland . . . . Nova Hollandia"; locality data for lectotype given as "Port-Jackson", New South Wales, Australia by Guibé, 1950 "1948", Cat. Types Amph. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat.: 21. Synonymy (as Hyla jacksoniensis) by Duméril and Bibron, 1841, Erp. Gen., 6: 602; by Günther, 1859 "1858", Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus.: 114 (as Hyla aurea).

Hyla jacksoniensis — Tschudi, 1838, Classif. Batr.: 35, 76. Name proposed as an objective synonym referencing jar label names of syntypes in the MNHNP.

Hyla jacksoniensis — Duméril and Bibron, 1841, Erp. Gen., 6: 602.

Hyla (Auletris) jacksoniensis — Fitzinger, 1843, Syst. Rept.: 30.

Ranoidea resplendens Girard, 1853, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 6: 422. Type(s): Not designated; USNM 15478 is holotype according to Cochran, 1961, Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus., 220: 77. Type locality: "Wollongong Illawara, near the coast", New South Wales, Australia. Synonymy by Steindachner, 1867, Reise Österreichischen Fregatte Novara, Zool., Amph.: 61; Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 410.

Hyla jacksonii — Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril, 1854, Erp. Gen., 9: 407. Incorrect subsequent spelling of Hyla jacksoniensis Tschudi, 1838).

Ranoidea aurea — Girard, 1858, U.S. Explor. Exped. 1838–1842, 20: 48. Wells and Wellington, 1985, Aust. J. Herpetol., Suppl. Ser., 1: 6.

Auletris jacksoniensis — Fitzinger, 1861 "1860", Sitzungsber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Phys. Math. Naturwiss. Kl., 42: 413.

Litoria aurea — Günther, 1864, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1864: 49.

Ranhyla aurea — M'Coy, 1867, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 3, 20: 182. Based on specimens of Litoria raniformis, according to Duellman, 1977, Das Tierreich, 95: 117.

Fanchonia elegans Werner, 1893, Zool. Anz., 16: 81-84. Holotype: presumably NHMW, not found by Cogger, Cameron, and Cogger, 1983, Zool. Cat. Aust., Amph. Rept., 1: 39, possibly in ZMB. Type locality: "tropische Afrika", in error. Synonymy by Werner, 1897, Zool. Anz., 20: 266.

Hyla aurea — Werner, 1897, Zool. Anz., 20: 266.

Hyla blandsuttoni Procter, 1924, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1924: 1128. Holotype: "living in the Reptile House. After death it will be presented to the British Museum (Natural History)" (= BMNH); not found by Duellman, 1977, Das Tierreich, 95: 117, and presumed lost. Type locality: "Queensland [Australia]. This must, however be regarded as uncertain". Synonymy by Copland, 1957, Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales, 82: 81

Hyla aurea aurea — Parker, 1938, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 11, 2: 302.

Hyla aurea ulongae Loveridge, 1950, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 63: 133. Holotype: AMS R13817 (formerly CAS 83235), according to Shea and Sadlier, 1999, Tech. Rep. Aust. Mus., 15: 4. Type locality: "Ulong, northeastern New South Wales", Australia. Status as distinct subspecies rejected by Tyler, 1971, Univ. Kansas Publ. Mus. Nat. Hist., 19: 352, and Courtice and Grigg, 1975, Aust. Zool., 18: 154. Treatment as a distinct species; without discussion, by Wells and Wellington, 1985, Aust. J. Herpetol., Suppl. Ser., 1: 6.

Hyla aurea ulongensis — Loveridge, 1950, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 63: 134. Error for Hyla aurea ulongae Loveridge, 1950.

Litoria aurea aurea — Tyler, 1971, Univ. Kansas Publ. Mus. Nat. Hist., 19: 352.

Ranoidea ulongae — Wells and Wellington, 1985, Aust. J. Herpetol., Suppl. Ser., 1: 6.

Dryopsophus aureus — Duellman, Marion, and Hedges, 2016, Zootaxa, 4104: 40.

Ranoidea aurea — Dubois and Frétey, 2016, Dumerilia, 6: 21. 

English Names

Golden Frog (Waite, 1929, Rept. Amph. S. Aust.: 258).

Golden Treefrog (Cochran, 1961, Living Amph. World: 137).

Green and Golden Bell Frog (Moore, 1961, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 121: 313; Cogger, 1975, Rept. Amph. Australia: 89; Ananjeva, Borkin, Darevsky, and Orlov, 1988, Dict. Amph. Rept. Five Languages: 61; Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 59; Barker, Grigg, and Tyler, 1995, Field Guide Aust. Frogs., Ed. 2: 100; Tyler and Knight, 2009, Field Guide Frogs Aust.: 38).

Distribution

Eastern New South Wales, south of the Richmond River, Australia; introduced into New Zealand, New Caledonia, Wallis I., Vanuatu, and the New Hebrides Is.

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Australia

Endemic: Australia

Introduced: New Caledonia, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Wallis Island

Comment

In the Litoria aurea group of Tyler and Davies, 1978, Aust. J. Zool., Suppl. Ser., 27 (63): 12, and the Litoria aurea complex of Barker, Grigg, and Tyler, 1995, Field Guide Aust. Frogs., Ed. 2: 100. See Courtice and Grigg, 1975, Aust. Zool., 18: 149–163, and Maxson, Tyler, and Maxson, 1982, Aust. J. Zool., 30: 643. Cogger, Cameron, and Cogger, 1983, Zool. Cat. Aust., Amph. Rept., 1: 39, discussed types and citation of the description. Not seen in recent years; very rare or extinct (see Couper, 1992, Wildl. Aust., 1992: 10–11). Tyler, 1979, Copeia, 1979: 355–356, reported on the introduced population in the New Hebrides Is. See West, 1979, Herpetofauna, Weinstadt, 10: 4-9, for discussion of introduction into New Zealand. Bell, 1982, in Newman (ed.), New Zealand Wildlife Serv. Occas Publ., 2: 29, provided a chronology for the introduction of this species into New Zealand. Lever, 2003, Naturalized Rept. Amph. World: 185–186, reported on the introduced populations in New Zealand, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Vörös, Mitchell, Waldman, Goldstein, and Gemmell, 2008, Austral Ecol., 33: 623–629, suggested that the New Zealand population was introduced at least twice from different parts of New South Wales, Australia. See photograph, map, description of geographic range and habitat, and conservation status in Stuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani, and Young, 2008, Threatened Amph. World: 256. See brief account by Tyler and Knight, 2009, Field Guide Frogs Aust.: 38–39, who commented on population declines. Zug, 2013, Rept. Amph. Pacific Is.: 69, provided a brief discussion of the introduced Vanuatu, Efate, Espiritu Santo, and Malakula populations. Nicolas, Grandcolas, Braux, Jourdan, Malau, Couloux, and Ohler, 2015, Amphibia-Reptilia, 36: 65–81, reported on molecular relations among Australia, New Zealand, Wallis I., and New Caledonia that favor human introduction. Cutajar, Portway, Gillard, and Rowley, 2022, Tech. Rep. Aust. Mus. Online, 36: 21, provided a polygon distribution map (as Litoria aurea).

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