NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Brown New Zealand Frog
Leiopelma hamiltoni McCulloch, 1919
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Hamilton's frog (Leiopelma hamiltoni) is a primitive frog native to New Zealand, one of only three extant species belonging to the family Leiopelmatidae. New Zealand's frog species all are in the family Leiopelmatidae. The male remains with the eggs to protect them and allows the tadpoles to climb onto his back where they are kept moist. It is named in honour of Harold Hamilton, the collector of the type specimen. The holotype is in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Wikipedia contributors, Hamilton's frog; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:33:13.336558+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Leiopelma hamiltoni McCulloch, 1919
- Name authority
- McCulloch, 1919
- Common name
- Brown New Zealand Frog
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Leiopelmatidae
- Genus
- Leiopelma
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderAnura
- familyLeiopelmatidae Mivart, 1869
- genusLeiopelma Fitzinger, 1861
- speciesLeiopelma hamiltoni McCulloch, 1919
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Leiopelma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Leiopelma hochstetteri Fitzinger, 1861 | LeiopelmatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leiopelma archeyi Turbott, 1942 | LeiopelmatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Leiopelma pakeka Bell, Daugherty & Hay, 1998 Bell, Daugherty & Hay, 1998 | synonym |
| Liopelma hamiltoni McCulloch, 1919 McCulloch, 1919 | synonym |
| Leioaspetos hamiltoni (McCulloch, 1919) (McCulloch, 1919) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=202080 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3SYZY. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.