Watjulum frog

{{Short description|Species of amphibian}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Litoria_watjulumensis.jpg

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Jean-Marc Hero, Dale Roberts, Paul Horner, Richard Retallick |date=2004 |title=Litoria watjulumensis |volume=2004 |page=e.T41115A10401517 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T41115A10401517.en |access-date=15 November 2021}}

| taxon = Litoria watjulumensis

| authority = (Copland, 1957){{cite web | url = http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/Litoria_watjulumensis | title = Species: Litoria watjulumensis (Copland, 1957) Copland's Rock Frog | author = Department of the Environment and Water Resources | authorlink = Department of the Environment and Water Resources | work = Australian faunal Directory | publisher = Australian Government | quote = }}

| synonyms = * Hyla wotjulumensis Tyler 1968

| range_map = Litoria watjulumensis map-fr.svg

}}

The Wotjulum frog (Litoria watjulumensis) is a species of frog in the subfamily Pelodryadinae. Its habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical swamps, rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, and rocky areas.

Litoria watjulumensis was named for Watjulum Mission in the north of Western Australia, sometimes spelled 'wotjulum'. This has led to variants in the common names and the specific epithet, repeating the spelling of Tyler's publication as Hyla wotjulumensis. The common names include Watjulum or Wotjulum frog, Watjulum Mission tree frog, and giant or large rocket frog.{{cite web|url=http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/references.php?id=13365|title=Litoria watjulumensis (Copland, 1957)|last=Frost |first=Darrel |work=Amphibian Species of the World 5.3 (online)|publisher=The American Museum of Natural History|accessdate=2009-07-13}}

The publication of the species was based on a type collection by Copland. The collection, of 29 specimens at the Western Australian Museum, was reassigned as three syntypes; for this species, Litoria coplandi, and Litoria peronii.Tyler, M.J. 1968. A taxonomic study of hylid frogs of the Hyla lesueuri complex occurring in north-western Australia. Records of the South Australian Museum 15: 711–727 [716]. The type for Litoria watjulumensis was collected near Watjulum mission "close to Yampi Sound, north of King Sound".

References