Nyctimystes

Big-eyed Treefrogs
The Australian Lace-lid (Nytimystes dayi)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Hylidae
Subfamily:	Pelodryadinae
Genus:	Nyctimystes Stejneger, 1916
Species
See text.

Nyctimystes is a genus of tree frog in the Hylidae family. They are principally Papuan species but do inhabit islands in the Moluccas and northern Queensland, Australia. All species in this genus have one distinct feature that separates them from other species in the Hylidae genus, the lower eyelid is marked with pattern of lines, veins or dots. This feature presumably acts as camouflage when the frogs are at rest during the day.

This genus inhabits tropical or subtropical montane rainforest. The eggs are large and are laid on submerged objects in fast flowing creeks and streams (not all species of this genus have been recorded as doing this, although it is assumed). The tadpoles have a large sucker-mouths and their body shape is very streamlined with a large tail musculature. All species of this genus have extensive webbing and large toe discs.

Many of the species in this genus have a relatively small population sizes and not much in known about each species, let alone the genus as a whole.

Species

• Loud Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes avocalis (Zweifel, 1958)
• Cheesman’s Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes cheesmanae (Tyler, 1964)
• Australian Lace-lid, Nyctimystes dayi (Günther, 1897)
• Dayman Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes daymani (Zweifel, 1958)
• Madang Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes disruptus (Tyler, 1963)
• Indonesian Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes fluviatilis (Zweifel, 1958)
• Kaironk Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes foricula (Tyler, 1963)
• Grant’s Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes granti (Boulenger, 1914)
• Mondo Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes gularis (Parker, 1936)
• Green Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes humeralis (Boulenger, 1912)
• Sandy Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes kubori (Zweifel, 1958)
• Nyctimystes kuduki Richards, 2007
• Mountain Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes montanus (Peters et Doria, 1878)
• Common Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes narinosus (Zweifel, 1958)
• Simbang Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes obsoletus (Lönnberg, 1900)
• Richard’s Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes oktediensis (Richards et Johnston, 1993)
• Papua Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes papua (Boulenger, 1897)
• Archipelago Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes perimetri (Zweifel, 1958)
• Milne Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes persimilis (Zweifel, 1958)
• Spurred Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes pulcher (Wandolleck, 1911)
• Rueppel’s Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes rueppelli (Boettger, 1895)
• Kokoda Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes semipalmatus (Parker, 1936)
• Morobe Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes trachydermis (Zweifel, 1983)
• Tyler’s Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes tyleri (Zweifel, 1983)
• Zweifel’s Big-eyed Tree Frog, Nyctimystes zweifeli (Tyler, 1967)

References

• The IUCN Redlist - Nyctimystes
• Barker, J.; Grigg, G.C.; Tyler, M.J. (1995). A Field Guide to Australian Frogs. Surrey Beatty & Sons.