Kallistobatrachus

Kallistobatrachus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Pelodryadidae
Genus: Kallistobatrachus
Richards, Mahony, and Donnellan, 2025
Species

See text

Kallistobatrachus is a genus of tree frogs in the family Pelodryadidae, native to New Guinea. [1]

Species of this genus inhabit from lowland to montane forests, and are associated with ponds. Some have been observed to lay eggs on leaves above the ponds so the tadpoles fall into the pond upon hatching, and it is assumed to be a common behaviour amongst the genus (though has not been observed in all species). [2]

The name of the genus is derived from the Greek kallistos meaning very beautiful and batrachus meaning frog.[2]

Species

Many of the species in this genus were part of the wastebasket genus Litoria until it was split into multiple genera after a comprehensive phylogenetic study in 2025. As the original Greek for Litoria is considered feminine and Kallistobatrachus masculine, the transition to the new genus changed L. chloronata to K. chloronatus:[2]

References

  1. ↑ Frost, Darrel R. (2026). "Kallistobatrachus Richards, Mahony, and Donnellan, 2025". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.2. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  2. 1 2 3 Donnellan, Stephen C.; Mahony, Michael J.; Esquerré, Damien; Brennan, Ian G.; Price, Luke C.; Lemmon, Alan; Moriarty Lemmon, Emily; Günther, Rainer; Monis, Paul; Bertozzi, Terry; Keogh, J. Scott; Shea, Glenn M.; Richards, Stephen J. (2025-06-19). "Phylogenomics informs a generic revision of the Australo-Paupuan treefrogs (Anura: Pelodryadidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 204 (2). Oxford Academic: 1–80. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf015. Retrieved 2026-04-01.