Nyctimystes

***Nyctimystes*** is a genus of tree frogs in the family Pelodryadidae. Most of them are from Papua New Guinea but some live on the Moluccas islands.  Some scientists think _Nyctimystes_ should be considered part of _Litoria_, another genus of frogs from New Guinea.  Other scientists think that it is right to say _Nyctimystes_ is its own genus.

All frogs in _Nyctimystes_ have marks on their lower eyelids: lines, veins, or dots. Scientists think this helps the frog harder to see so it can hide from larger animals that want to eat it.  Scientists tell _Nyctimystes_ frogs apart from _Litoria_ frogs because _Nyctimystes_ frogs have vertical (up and down) pupils in their eyes and _Litoria_ frogs have horizontal (side to side) pupils in their eyes.

These frogs live in tropical or subtropical rainforests on mountains. Their eggs are large and scientists have seen many of them laying eggs on underwater objects in fast-flowing creeks and streams, enough that they think all _Nyctimystes_ frogs do this. The tadpoles have large sucker-mouths and streamlined bodies with large, muscular tails. All _Nyctimystes frogs_ have webbed feet and large discs on their toes for climbing.

Scientists say most _Nyctimystes_ frogs became separate species during the Miocene era, about 10 to 22 million years ago.

The name comes from the Greek _nycktos_ for "night" and _myst_ meaning "mist." Together they refer to "mysteries of the night."

## Species

Many of these frogs are few in number in the wild, and scientists do not know much about most of them. Scientists often write papers saying a frog species should be renamed and moved from _Nyctimystes_ into _Litoria_ or _Ranoidea_, so the list below may change:

- _Nyctimystes avocalis_ <small>Zweifel, 1958</small> – Loud big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes bivocalis_ <small>Kraus, 2012</small>
- _Nyctimystes brevipalmatus_ <small>(Tyler, Martin, and Watson, 1972)</small> – Green-thighed frog
- _Nyctimystes calcaratus_ <small>Menzies, 2014</small>
- _Nyctimystes cheesmani_ <small>Tyler, 1964</small> – Cheesman’s big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes cryptochrysos_ <small>Kraus, 2012</small>
- _Nyctimystes daymani_ <small>Zweifel, 1958</small> – Dayman big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes disruptus_ <small>Tyler, 1963</small> – Madang big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes dux_ <small>(Richards and Oliver, 2006)</small>
- _Nyctimystes eucavatus_ <small>Menzies, 2014</small>
- _Nyctimystes fluviatilis_ <small>Zweifel, 1958</small> – Indonesian big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes foricula_ <small>Tyler, 1963</small> – Kaironk big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes gramineus_ <small>(Boulenger, 1905)</small> – Northern New Guinea treefrog
- _Nyctimystes granti_ <small>(Boulenger, 1914)</small> – Grant's big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes gularis_ <small>Parker, 1936</small> – Mondo big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes humeralis_ <small>(Boulenger, 1912)</small> – Green big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes hunti_ <small>(Richards, Oliver, Dahl, and Tjaturadi, 2006)</small>
- _Nyctimystes infrafrenatus_ <small>(Günther, 1867)</small> – White-lipped tree frog
- _Nyctimystes intercastellus_ <small>Kraus, 2012</small>
- _Nyctimystes kubori_ <small>Zweifel, 1958</small> – Sandy big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes kuduki_ <small>Richards, 2007</small>
- _Nyctimystes latratus_ <small>Menzies, 2014</small>
- _Nyctimystes lubisi_ <small>(Oliver, Günther, Tjaturadi, and Richards, 2021)</small>
- _Nyctimystes montanus_ <small>(Peters et Doria, 1878)</small> – Mountain big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes myolae_ <small>Menzies, 2014</small>
- _Nyctimystes multicolor_ <small>(Günther, 2004)</small> – Multi-coloured tree frog
- _Nyctimystes narinosus_ <small>Zweifel, 1958</small> – Common big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes nullicedens_ <small>(Kraus, 2018)</small>
- _Nyctimystes obsoletus_ <small>(Lönnberg, 1900)</small> – Simbang big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes ocreptus_ <small>Menzies, 2014</small>
- _Nyctimystes pallidofemora_ <small>(Kraus, 2018)</small>
- _Nyctimystes papua_ <small>(Boulenger, 1897)</small> – Papua big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes perimetri_ <small>Zweifel, 1958</small> – Archipelago big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes persimilis_ <small>(Zweifel, 1958)</small> – Milne big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes pterodactyla_ <small>(Oliver, Richards, and Donnellan, 2019)</small> – Pale-eyed parachuting tree frog
- _Nyctimystes pulcher_ <small>(Wandolleck, 1911)</small> – Spurred big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes purpureolatus_ <small>(Oliver, Richards, Tjaturadi, and Iskandar, 2007)</small>
- _Nyctimystes sanguinolenta_ <small>(Van Kampen, 1909)</small> – Sabang tree frog
- _Nyctimystes sauroni_ <small>(Richards and Oliver, 2006)</small>
- _Nyctimystes semipalmatus_ <small>Parker, 1936</small> – Kokoda big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes trachydermis_ <small>Zweifel, 1983</small> – Morobe big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes traunae_ <small>Menzies, 2014</small>
- _Nyctimystes tyleri_ <small>Zweifel, 1983</small> – Tyler's big-eyed tree frog
- _Nyctimystes zweifeli_ <small>Tyler, 1967</small> – Zweifel's big-eyed tree frog

## References

- The IUCN Redlist - _Nyctimystes_
- Barker, J.; Grigg, G.C.; Tyler, M.J. (1995). A Field Guide to Australian Frogs. Surrey Beatty & Sons.