Litoria splendida

Magnificent tree frog Litoria splendida Male Parotoidand rostral glands Attracts female Splendipherin (peptide 25 residues) Wabnitzetfl/., 1999... 

Pept verucopeptin Actinomadura verrucosospora, Bact. from the Philippines Sugawara 1993) vancomycin (Streptomyces orientalis, Actinom., Bact. from Borneo soil MI) caerulein-like (from Australian tree frog, Litoria splendida, and Hyla caerulea, Amphib. from W Australia Wabnitz 1999). 

Wabnitz, P.A. Bowie, J.H. Tyler, M.J. Wallace, J.C. Smith, B.P. (2000) Differences in the skin peptides of the male and female Australian tree frog Litoria splendida. Eur. J. Biochem., 267, 1-8. 

The Australian tree frog (Litoria splendida) is native to Western Australia and spends much of its day in caves. The first anuran (frog or toad) pheromone was identified in this species. 

Litoria splendida is found in a reasonably small geographical area, in the northwestern parts of the Northern Territory, and in the north-eastern parts of Western Australia (Tyler and Davies, 1986 Tyler et ah, 1994). Specimens collected for these studies were obtained from the Kimberley region of Western Australia. 

RlOl J. H. Bowie, Splendipherin The Aquatic Male Sex Pheromone of the Magnificent Tree Frog Litoria Splendida , in Pheromones Theories, Types and Uses, ed. I. M. Gregory, Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Hauppauge, N. Y., 2010,... 

Behavioural testing with females from a related species, Litoria caerulea, and with males from both species gave negative results. The pheromone was not recognised by any test subjects other than L. splendida females. The peptide is therefore a species specific male sex attractant pheromone. 

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