Andean marsupial tree frog

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Andean marsupial tree frog
Ranamarsupial.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hemiphractidae
Genus: Gastrotheca
Species:
G. riobambae
Binomial name
Gastrotheca riobambae
(Fowler, 1913) [2]
Synonyms
  • Chorophilus olivaceusAndersson, 1945
  • Gastrotheca marsupiata ssp. ecuatoriensisVellard, 1957
  • Hyla quitoeFowler, 1913

The Andean marsupial tree frog (Gastrotheca riobambae), also known as the Riobamba marsupial frog or Riobamba pouched frog, is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is endemic to Ecuador. [3] The species is confined to the Andes and the inter-Andean valleys, from Imbabura south to Chimborazo. They live in an altitude of 2,200-3,500 meters above sea-level. The Andean marsupial tree frog's habitat varies from the montane forests to the dry rocky hillsides, and from the agave plants to the corn fields. Once a common species, it is threatened by severe habitat loss. [1]

Snout–vent length of Gastrotheca riobambae is about 48 mm (1.9 in). It has a broad, depressed body. Skin is smooth above but granulated below. [2]

Within this genus, the males transfer the eggs from the female's cloaca to their dorsal pouch till they reach development at the tadpole stage. It takes approximately five to six weeks that the eggs stay in the female's pouch. Once they reach the stage as tadpoles, they continue their development in water, and go through metamorphosis in a few weeks time. [4]

Gastrotheca riobambae are sometimes kept as pets. [5]

Related Research Articles

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Gastrotheca is a genus of frogs in the family Hemiphractidae. They are found in Central America south of Costa Rica and in South America. Most species occur in the American Cordillera from southern Costa Rica to north-western Argentina. This genus makes up the bulk of marsupial frog diversity; formerly it was placed in the "Leptodactylidae" assemblage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugenia del Pino</span> Ecuadorian biologist

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Gastrotheca andaquiensis, commonly known as the Andes marsupial frog, is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is found on the Amazonian slopes of Andes in southern Colombia and Ecuador.

<i>Gastrotheca argenteovirens</i> Species of frog

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horned marsupial frog</span> Species of amphibian

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<i>Gastrotheca dunni</i> Species of frog

Gastrotheca dunni is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is endemic to the northern part of the Cordillera Occidental in northern Antioquia, Colombia. The specific name dunni honors Emmett Reid Dunn, an American herpetologist. Common name Dunn's marsupial frog has been coined for it.

<i>Gastrotheca excubitor</i> Species of frog

Gastrotheca excubitor is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is endemic to southern Peru and occurs in the Amazonian slopes and crests of the Cordillera Oriental in the Cusco Region; records from the Cajamarca Region are likely erroneous. It is likely to include cryptic species. Common name Abra Acanacu marsupial frog has been coined for it.

Gastrotheca gracilis, commonly known as the La Banderita marsupial frog, is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is found in northwestern Argentina and possibly Bolivia.

<i>Gastrotheca guentheri</i> Species of amphibian

Gastrotheca guentheri is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is found in the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. Gastrotheca guentheri is the only known frog with true teeth in both of its jaws, as indicated by the name of the genus it originally typified, Amphignathodon, described by George Albert Boulenger in 1882.

<i>Gastrotheca monticola</i> Species of frog

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Gastrotheca ochoai is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is endemic to southern Peru and occurs in the interandean valleys on the eastern face of the Andes. The specific name ochoai honors Oscar Ochoa Mendieta, a biology professor from the National University of Saint Anthony the Abbot in Cuzco who helped the species descriptors during the field work. Common name Chilca marsupial frog has been coined for this species.

<i>Gastrotheca ovifera</i> Species of frog

Gastrotheca ovifera is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is endemic to northern Venezuela and is known from the Venezuelan Coastal Range, including Sierra de Aroa.

Gastrotheca piperata is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver marsupial frog</span> Species of amphibian

The silver marsupial frog is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is endemic to the Pacific slopes of Andes in northern and central Ecuador. It is a nocturnal, arboreal inhabitant of cloud forests that can also be found in forest edge and secondary, degraded habitats. It is closely associated with arboreal bromeliads. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Gastrotheca testudinea is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It has a widespread latitudinal range along the eastern (Amazonian) slopes of the Andes of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

Gastrotheca trachyceps is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is endemic to the Cauca Department, Colombia, and is known from its type locality, Cerro Munchique in the Cordillera Occidental, and Vereda Santa Elena (Popayán) in the Cordillera Central. The specific name trachyceps is said to be derived from Greek trachy meaning "rough" and Latin ceps meaning "head", in reference to the rough appearance of the head. The proper word in Latin for head, however, is caput. The common name Cerro Munchique marsupial frog has been coined for it.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemiphractidae</span> Family of amphibians

The Hemiphractidae are a family of frogs from South and Central America. Previously, this group had been classified as a subfamily (Hemiphractinae) under family Hylidae. More recent research classifies these genera into their own family, or sometimes into three separate families: Amphignathodontidae, Cryptobatrachidae, and Hemiphractidae. An active question still exists as to which of these groupings is more accurate.

References

  1. 1 2 Luis A. Coloma, Santiago Ron, Karl-Heinz Jungfer (2004). "Gastrotheca riobambae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2004: e.T55357A11298345. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T55357A11298345.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 Fowler, H. W. (1913). "Amphibians and reptiles from Ecuador, Venezuela, and Yucatan". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 65: 153–176.
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Gastrotheca riobambae (Fowler, 1913)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  4. del Pino, Eugenia M.; Maria L. Galarza; Carmen M. de Albuja; A. A. Humphries (1975). "The maternal pouch and development in the marsupial frog Gastrotheca riobambae (Fowler)". Biological Bulletin. 149 (3): 480–491. doi:10.2307/1540381. JSTOR   1540381. PMID   29324196.
  5. "Gastrotheca riobambae". Caudata.org. Retrieved 5 April 2014.