Kallistobatrachus aplini (Richards & Donnellan, 2020)
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
Kallistobatrachus aplini, or Aplin's tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to Papua New Guinea. Scientists know it exclusively from the type locality: the upper reaches of the Sepik River in Sandaun Province.
The adult frog measures 30–35 mm in snout-vent length. The skin of the dorsum can be green to brown in color, which may change over the course of the day and night. The belly and inner legs are yellow in color. Parts of the hind legs are blue and brown in color. The iris of the eye is gray in color with dark brown marks and a blue ring.
The male frogs have been observed calling from perches 5 m over pools of water.
The scientists named this frog after their friend and fellow herpetologist Ken Aplin. Dr. Aplin studied the animals of New Guinea.
Wikipedia contributors, Kallistobatrachus aplini; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T16:43:42.647169+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Kallistobatrachus aplini (Richards & Donnellan, 2020)
- Name authority
- (Richards & Donnellan, 2020)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Pelodryadidae
- Genus
- Kallistobatrachus
- 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
- familyPelodryadidae Günther, 1858
- genusKallistobatrachus Richards, Mahony & Donnellan in Donnellan et al., 2025
- speciesKallistobatrachus aplini (Richards & Donnellan, 2020)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Kallistobatrachus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Kallistobatrachus iris (Tyler, 1962) | PelodryadidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kallistobatrachus lisae (Richards, Donnellan & Oliver, 2023) | PelodryadidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Litoria aplini Richards & Donnellan, 2020 Richards & Donnellan, 2020 | synonym |
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=1271422 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:V5P99. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.