Αυστραλιανός πράσινος δενδροβάτραχος: Διαφορά μεταξύ των αναθεωρήσεων
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The species was originally called the "blue frog" (''Rana caerulea'') despite its green colour. The original specimens White sent to [[England]] were damaged by the preservative and appeared blue. The colour of the frog is caused by blue and green [[pigment]]s covered in a yellow layer; the preservative destroyed the yellow layer and left the frog with a blue appearance. The specific epithet, ''caerulea'', which is Latin for blue, has remained.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thechildrensmuseumct.org/animal_pages/whites_tree_frog.htm |title=White’s Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea) |accessdate=2007-12-11 |publisher=The Children's Museum, [[Hartford]], CT }}</ref> The frog is also known more simply as the "Green Tree Frog." However, that name is often given to the most common large green tree frog in a region, for example, the [[American green tree frog]] (''Hyla cinerea'').
==Description==
The Green Tree Frog can grow up to 10 centimeters (4 inches) in length. Its color depends on the temperature and color of the environment, ranging from brown to green; the ventral surface is white.<ref name="vinc"/> The frog occasionally has small, white, irregularly shaped spots on its back, up to five millimeters in diameter, which increase in number with age. The frog has large discs at the end of its toes, of about five;millimeters in diameter at maturity. These help the frogs grip while climbing and allow them to climb vertically on glass. The eyes are golden and have horizontal [[iris (anatomy)|iris]]es, typical of the ''Litoria'' genus. The fingers are about one-third webbed, and the toes nearly three-quarters webbed. The tympanum (a skin membrane similar to an [[eardrum]]) is visible.
The Green Tree Frog is sometimes confused with the Magnificent Tree Frog (''Litoria splendida''), which inhabits only north-western Australia and can be distinguished by the presence of large [[Parotoid gland|parotoid]]s and [[rostral gland]]s on the head. The Giant Tree Frog (''Litoria infrafrenata'') is also sometimes confused with the Green Tree Frog. The main difference is a distinct white stripe along the edge of the lower jaw of the Giant Tree Frog, which is not present in the Green Tree Frog.
The tadpole's appearance changes throughout its development. The length of the species' tadpoles ranges from 8.1 millimeters (once hatched) to 44 millimeters. They are initially mottled with brown, which increases in pigmentation (to green or brown) during development. The underside begins dark and then lightens, eventually to white in adults. The eggs are brown, in a clear jelly and are 1.1–1.4 millimeters in diameter.<ref name="vinc"/>
Although frogs have lungs, they absorb oxygen through their skin, and for this to occur efficiently, the skin must be moist. A disadvantage of moist skin is that [[pathogen]]s can thrive on it, increasing the chance of infection. To counteract this, frogs secrete [[peptide]]s that destroy these pathogens. The skin [[secretion]] from the Green Tree Frog contains [[caerin]]s, a group of peptides with antibacterial and antiviral properties. It also contains [[caerulin]]s, which have the same physiological effects as [[Cholecystokinin|CCK-8]], a digestive hormone and hunger suppressant.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Salmon | first =AL | title =Isolation, Structural Characterization, and Bio activity of a Novel Neuromedin U Analog from the Defensive Skin Secretion of the Australasian Tree Frog, ''Litoria caerulea''| url = http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/275/7/4549 | journal = Journal of Biological Chemistry | volume = 275 | pages = 4549–54 | year = 2000 | coauthors = et al.}}</ref> Several peptides from the skin secretions of the Green Tree Frog have been found to destroy [[HIV]] without harming healthy [[T-cell]]s.<ref>{{cite web | title=Frog secretions block HIV | url= http://exploration.vanderbilt.edu/news/news_froghiv.htm| publisher=Vanderbilt University|accessdate=2005-12-12 }}</ref>
[[Image:Pelodryas comparison.jpg|thumb|center|600px|The left frog is the [[White-lipped Tree Frog]], note the white stripe along the jaw. The center is the Green Tree Frog. The right is the [[Magnificent Tree Frog]], note the large parotoid glands present above the tympanum.]]
==Distribution==
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