Maud Island frog [SEP] parent taxon
Maud Island frog
The Maud Island frog ("Leiopelma pakeka") is a primitive frog native to New Zealand, one of only four extant species belonging to the family Leiopelmatidae.
Description.
"L. pakeka" is a small terrestrial frog, growing to 5 cm in length, and is medium to dark brown with unwebbed toes and a distinctive extended ridge behind its eyes. It is slightly larger than and differs slightly in colour from Hamilton's frog ("Leiopelma hamiltoni").
Like other members
than that seen between different populations of Archey's frog ("L. archeyi)", which calls into question the designation of the Maud Island frog as a separate species. A similar conflict between blood allozymes and DNA led to the lumping of the Brothers Island tuatara ("Sphenodon guntheri") back into "Sphenodon punctatus".
Conservation.
"L. pakeka" is classed as nationally endangered in the New Zealand Threat Classification System. The entire species was initially confined to a 16-ha forest remnant on 309-ha Maud Island.