List of amphibians of New Zealand

All of the amphibians of New Zealand are either from the endemic genus Leiopelma or are one of the introduced species, of which three are extant. Pepeketua is the eponymized Māori word.[1][2][3]

Hochstetter's frog (Leiopelma hochstetteri).

Unique characteristics

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Members of the genus Leiopelma exhibit a number of basal traits that separate them from most other species. These traits include: vestigial tail-wagging muscles, cartilaginous inscriptional ribs, the presence of amphicoelous vertebrae, and nine presachral vertebrae (most frogs have eight). In addition, Leiopelma lack external ear drums and produce only limited vocalizations.

Species

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Native

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Scientific name Common name Image
Leiopelma archeyi Archey's frog  
Leiopelma hamiltoni Hamilton's frog  
Leiopelma hochstetteri Hochstetter's frog  
Leiopelma auroraensis Aurora frog EX
Leiopelma markhami Markham's frog EX
Leiopelma waitomoensis Waitomo frog EX

Introduced

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Scientific name Common name Image
Ranoidea aurea Green and golden bell frog  
Ranoidea raniformis Growling grass frog  
Litoria ewingii Southern brown tree frog  

See also

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References

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  1. ^ pepeketua - Māori Dictionary http://www.maoridictionary.co.nz/word/5496
  2. ^ 09 October 2012 http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/blogs/in-our-nature/7787401/Our-fascinating-frogs
  3. ^ Ryan, Paddy. "Frogs in New Zealand". Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 13 July 2012.

Further reading

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