Species Fact Profile: Solomon Island Leaf Frog (Cornufer guentheri)

                                                           Solomon Island Leaf Frog

Cornufer guentheri (Boulenger,)

Range: Solomon Island Archipelago (Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands)

Habitat: Lowland Tropical Rainforest

Diet: Insects, Small Reptiles and Amphibians

Social Grouping: Solitary

Reproduction:  Breed year round.  10-30 eggs laid in small hollows at the base of trees, buried in loose soil.  Several clutches may be laid per year.  Eggs hatch after 6-8 weeks.  Undergo direct development, meaning that there is no tadpole stage - frogs emerge as fully-formed froglets from the eggs.  Sexually mature at 10-12 months old

Lifespan: 5 Years

Conservation Status: IUCN  Least Concern

• Body length 7.5-10 centimeters, with females larger than males.  Typical frog build, but with very pointed snout and pointed ridge over each eye (sometimes called "eyelash frogs")
• Highly variable in color, even among siblings.  Base color can be tan, yellow, orange, or green.  Some individuals have spots or stripes, but usually not in great number.  Males may have two parallel white lines running down their sides (possibly their ureters).  Patterning on the back resembles a decaying leaf
• Communicate with a loud, dog-like bark, both for attracting mates and marking territory
• Ambush predators, feeding on any small animal that comes within range, including smaller Solomon Island leaf frogs
• Still common in the wild, with some moderate pressure from collecting for the pet trade.  Tolerant of habitat disturbance, will live in agricultural areas