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Platymantis megabotoniviti Worthy, 2001

Viti Levu giant ground frog (proposed)

 

 

Taxonomy & Nomenclature

 

 

Conservation Status

Extinct

Last record: Holocene

 

The Viti Levu Giant ground frog was much longer, but also stouter, than either of the two living Platymantis species which inhabit Fiji, suggesting it had a predominantly terrestrial lifestyle. It would therefore have been much easy prey for the Rattus exulans and R. praetor which were introduced by Melanesians some 3,000 years ago, as compared with the two living Platymantis sp. And although no unequivocal evidence of a Rattus-induced extinction of P. megabotoniviti has been produced, this is probably the cause of its extinction on account of a seeming lack of any other possible cause.

 

Distribution

Viti Levu, Fiji

 

Biology & Ecology

 

 

Hypodigm

Holotype: MNZ S37057A ("left ilium")

Type locality: "Qara-ni-vokai (Cave of the iguana) at Volivoli, Viti Levu, Fiji. Grid Reference on 1:50,000 series map,L29 659713, Edition 1, 1992; Longitude 18°09'39" S, latitude 177°28'53"E"

Paratypes: (all are L or R ilia)

MNZ S37057B-H
MNZ S37099
MNZ S37058
MNZ S37571A
MNZ S37571B

Referred Material:

Hundreds of elements have been referred to Platymantis megabotoniviti. For an exhaustive list see (Worthy, 2001:668-670).

 

Media

 

 

References

Original scientific description:

Worthy, Trevor H. (2001). A New Species of Platymantis (Anura: Ranidae) from Quaternary Deposits On Viti Levu, Fiji. Palaeontology 44(4): 665-680.

 

Other references:

Worthy, Trevor H. and Anderson, Atholl. (2009). Results of palaeofaunal research, pp. 41-62. In: Clark, Geoffrey Richard and Anderson, Atoll (eds.). The Early Prehistory of Fiji. Terra Australis 31. Canberra: ANU E Press. 437 pp.

Worthy, Trevor H., Anderson, Atholl J. and Molnar, Ralph E. (1999). Megafaunal expression in a land without mammals – the first fossil faunas from terrestrial deposits in Fiji (Vertebrata: Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves). Senckenbergiana Biologica 79(2): 237-242.

 

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