Descriptions of Two Species of Frogs, Genus Ptychohyla

William Edward DuellmanProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.6

Word count: 19K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Descriptions of Two Species of Frogs, Genus Ptychohyla by William Edward DuellmanAuthor: Duellman, William Edward, 1930-,Language: English, Class: QH: Science: Natural history, Release Date: Feb 21, 2010

Editor's review

This is an original descriptive paper on two species of the frog genus Ptychohyla, by William Edward Duellman. Its core value lies in primary taxonomic material: species descriptions, morphological characters, and locality records are presented in original paper form, offering direct reference for researchers of amphibian taxonomy and Central American fauna. The text is short and terminologically dense, typical of museum-style descriptive writing; the main barrier to reading is specialized vocabulary and place-name abbreviations. As a public-domain document transcribed by Project Gutenberg, it is easy to search and cite, but note that it was published early and later taxonomic revisions may have changed genus or species placement; check the latest classification before use. It is suited to historical citation in academic writing, not to popular science reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers in amphibian taxonomy and faunal studies
Graduate students who need to cite original descriptions in papers on Ptychohyla
Natural history enthusiasts interested in Central American biodiversity records
Data workers compiling species lists and taxonomic literature

Not a good fit for

General popular-science readers looking for anecdotes about frog behavior
Beginners without a foundation in zoological terminology
Readers seeking pet-keeping or husbandry information

Reading tips

First check the latest amphibian classification to confirm current genus and species placement.
Locate the localities mentioned on a map to understand the geographic context of distribution records.
Break the morphological description into a table item by item for comparison with similar species.
When citing, note the original publication information and the electronic transcription source to maintain academic standards.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Which two species does this paper describe?

The title indicates that it describes two species in the frog genus Ptychohyla; the specific names and characters must be found in the morphological descriptions and locality records in the text. It is an original taxonomic description, not a review article.

Are the species classifications in this paper still valid?

Not necessarily. The paper was published early, and amphibian taxonomy has undergone many revisions since; genus or species placement may have changed. Consult the latest taxonomic database or authoritative checklist to confirm current valid names and synonymies.

Can someone without a zoology background understand it?

It is fairly difficult to read. The text uses many morphological measurements, specialized terms such as scales or toe pads, and place-name abbreviations; without a foundation, it is hard to grasp the key descriptive points. It is advisable to first acquire basic amphibian taxonomy or read alongside an illustrated reference work.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

William Edward Duellman Author · American · 1930–2022

William Edward Duellman (1930–2022) was an American herpetologist. Born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1930, he received his doctorate from the University of Michigan in 1956 and then taught for many years at the University of Kansas, where he also served as curator of reptiles at the university's Natural History Museum. His research focused on Neotropical amphibians, and he described more than 250 new species over his career. The library holds 11 of his works, mostly taxonomic and faunal monographs covering amphibians and reptiles of the rainforests of southern El Petén, Guatemala, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico, and Michoacán, as well as systematic reviews of several genera of tree frogs. These works are noted for their solid specimen records and detailed morphological descriptions, making them important references for species identification and distribution studies in the regions concerned.