Philoria knowlesi Mahony, Hines, Mahony & Donnellan, 2022
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 Mount Ballow mountain frog (Philoria knowlesi) is a species of frog in the family Limnodynastidae. It is endemic to eastern Australia, straddling the border of Queensland and New South Wales. It is known only from the central and western McPherson Ranges, in the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Site. It closely resembles nearby Philoria species, and was only described as a distinct species in 2022, following geographic sampling that found significant genetic divergence. It is named after Sydney environmentalist Ross Knowles for his contributions to the study of Australian frogs. This species breeds in bogs, seepages, and the banks of headwater streams. As with other members of the genus, it has a unique breeding strategy where the male creates a small breeding chamber that the tadpoles develop in. Although it is found in some protected areas such as Mount Barney National Park, it is highly threatened by invasive species, habitat loss, and potentially chytridomycosis, and its range has the potential to shrink significantly due to climate change.
Wikipedia contributors, Mount Ballow mountain frog; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T17:40:59.839423+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Philoria knowlesi Mahony, Hines, Mahony & Donnellan, 2022
- Name authority
- Mahony, Hines, Mahony & Donnellan, 2022
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Limnodynastidae
- Genus
- Philoria
- 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
- superfamilyMyobatrachoidea Schlegel, 1850
- familyLimnodynastidae Lynch, 1969
- genusPhiloria Spencer, 1901
- speciesPhiloria knowlesi Mahony, Hines, Mahony & Donnellan, 2022
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Philoria. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Philoria frosti Spencer, 1901 | LimnodynastidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Philoria sphagnicola (Moore, 1958) | LimnodynastidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Philoria kundagungan (Ingram & Corben, 1975) | LimnodynastidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Philoria loveridgei Parker, 1940 | LimnodynastidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Philoria pughi Knowles, Mahony, Armstrong & Donnellan, 2004 | LimnodynastidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Philoria richmondensis Knowles, Mahony, Armstrong & Donnellan, 2004 | LimnodynastidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
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=1270580 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:RDSRW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.