Chile Darwin's frog

Last updated

Chile Darwin's frog
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Rhinodermatidae
Genus: Rhinoderma
Species:
R. rufum
Binomial name
Rhinoderma rufum
(Philippi, 1902)
Mapa rhinoderma rufum.svg
Range of Rhinoderma rufum (in red)
Synonyms [2]

Heminectes rufusPhilippi, 1902

The Chile Darwin's frog (Rhinoderma rufum), [2] also called the northern Darwin's frog, [1] [3] is one of only two members of the family Rhinodermatidae. [4] It is endemic to central Chile, although it might well be extinct. [1]

Contents

Description

The Chile Darwin's frog has a snout to vent length of about 32 mm (1.3 in). It has a fleshy proboscis, slender limbs and feet webbed between the first and second, and the second and third toes. The dorsal colour is variable but is usually some shade of brown or green, or a mixture of the two. The ventral surface is mottled in black and white. [5]

Biology

The Chile Darwin's frog is diurnal and feeds on small insects and other invertebrates. The female lays a small clutch of eggs on moist ground. About a week later the embryos are beginning to move within the eggs and the male picks them up and stores them in his vocal sac. He keeps them there until they have developed a functioning gut and then transports them to a suitable water body and releases them. The tadpoles grow further in the water and undergo metamorphosis there. This development is in contrast to that of the Darwin's frog (Rhinoderma darwinii) tadpoles which complete their development in their parent's vocal sac. [5]

Distribution and habitat

The Chile Darwin's frog has a very restricted range in central Chile, being found in Talca Province and southwards to Bío Bío Province, between from 33° 30'S to 37° 50'S. Very little is known about this species, but its natural habitats are probably temperate forests, rivers and swamps. It has been found in wet beech forests at altitudes of between 50 and 500 metres (160 and 1,640 ft) above sea level. The species was sympatric with Rhinoderma darwinii in the region surrounding Concepcion, near the southern extremities of Rhinoderma rufum's distribution. [1] [5] [6]

Conservation status

The Chile Darwin's frog is currently listed as "Critically Endangered" by the IUCN, but as there have been no confirmed sightings since around 1981, it may already be extinct. The main threats it faces are destruction of the pine forests in which it lives and building work but its steep decline is unexplained. It may be the victim of disease such as chytridiomycosis but this had not been reported in Chile when the decline started. [1] [7] If still extant, it is likely to be threatened by habitat loss, pollution, and infection from Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis . [3]

On January 21, 2008, Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE), according to its head, Helen Meredith, identified nature's most weird, wonderful and endangered species: "The EDGE amphibians are amongst the most remarkable and unusual species on the planet and yet an alarming 85% of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention." The top 10 endangered species (in the List of endangered animal species include: the Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus), a relative of the hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensus); the tiny Gardiner's Seychelles frog (Sooglossus gardineri); the limbless Sagalla caecilian (Boulengerula niedeni); the Table Mountain ghost frog (Heleophryne rosei); the Mexican lungless salamanders; the Malagasy rainbow frog (Scaphiophryne gottlebei); the Chile Darwin's frog (Rhinoderma rufum); and the Betic midwife toad (Alytes dickhilleni). [8] [9] [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vocal sac</span> Noise-producing organ in frogs and toads

The vocal sac is the flexible membrane of skin possessed by most male frogs and toads. The purpose of the vocal sac is usually as an amplification of their mating or advertisement call. The presence or development of the vocal sac is one way of externally determining the sex of a frog or toad in many species; taking frogs as an example;

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darwin's frog</span> Species of amphibian

Darwin’s frog, also called the Southern Darwin's frog, is a species of Chilean/Argentinian frog of the family Rhinodermatidae. It was discovered by Charles Darwin during his voyage on voyage on HMS Beagle. on a trip to Chile. In 1841, French zoologist André Marie Constant Duméril and his assistant Gabriel Bibron described and named Darwin's frog. The diet of R. darwinii consists mostly of herbivore invertebrates. R. darwinii is currently classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

<i>Rhinoderma</i> Genus of amphibians

Rhinoderma, commonly known as Darwin's frogs, is a genus of small frogs found in Chile and adjacent parts of Argentina. It has just two species, of which the Chile Darwin's frog is highly endangered or may already be extinct. The better-known Darwin's frog is endangered.

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

Rhinodermatidae, also known as Darwin's frogs, mouth-breeding frogs or mouth-brooding frogs, is a small family of frogs found in temperate forests of southern Chile and adjacent Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chytridiomycosis</span> Amphibian disease

Chytridiomycosis is an infectious disease in amphibians, caused by the chytrid fungi Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans. Chytridiomycosis has been linked to dramatic population declines or extinctions of amphibian species in western North America, Central America, South America, eastern Australia, east Africa (Tanzania), and Dominica and Montserrat in the Caribbean. Much of the New World is also at risk of the disease arriving within the coming years. The fungus is capable of causing sporadic deaths in some amphibian populations and 100% mortality in others. No effective measure is known for control of the disease in wild populations. Various clinical signs are seen by individuals affected by the disease. A number of options are possible for controlling this disease-causing fungus, though none has proved to be feasible on a large scale. The disease has been proposed as a contributing factor to a global decline in amphibian populations that apparently has affected about 30% of the amphibian species of the world. Some research found evidence insufficient for linking chytrid fungi and chytridiomycosis to global amphibian declines, but more recent research establishes a connection and attributes the spread of the disease to its transmission through international trade routes into native ecosystems.

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

The Baw Baw frog is a critically endangered species of Australian frog as categorised on the IUCN Red List and listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988). It has suffered a decline in population, mostly due to infection caused by chytrid fungus. Zoos Victoria has undertaken a breeding program to ensure survival of the species which commenced in 2010, and in October 2018 successfully collected the first eggs laid in captivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain yellow-legged frog</span> Species of amphibian

The mountain yellow-legged frog, also known as the southern mountain yellow-legged frog, is a species of true frog endemic to California in the United States. It occurs in the San Jacinto Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, and San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California and the Southern Sierra Nevada. It is a federally listed endangered species.

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

The boreal chorus frog is a species of chorus frog native to Canada from central Quebec to eastern British Columbia and north to the Northwest Territories and the southern portion of the Yukon. It occurs in the USA throughout Montana, northwestern Wisconsin, northeastern Arizona, northern New Mexico, and southwestern Utah.

Aromobates nocturnus, the skunk frog, is a species of critically endangered frog endemic to Trujillo State in Venezuela. It is an extremely rare frog, and no sightings have been recorded since the original description in the early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bornean flat-headed frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Bornean flat-headed frog is a species of frog in the family Bombinatoridae. Although many salamanders are lungless, the Bornean flat-headed frog is the first frog known to have no lungs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betic midwife toad</span> Species of frog

The Betic midwife toad or Sapo Partero Bético is a species of frog in the family Alytidae. It is endemic to mountainous in south eastern Spain. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, pastureland, ponds, and aquaculture ponds. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamula mountain brook frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Chamula mountain brook frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to Chiapas, Mexico. Its natural habitats are moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat destruction and has been rated as "endangered" by the IUCN.

<i>Agalychnis lemur</i> Species of amphibian

Agalychnis lemur, the lemur leaf frog or lemur frog, is a species of frog in the subfamily Phyllomedusinae. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, and adjacent northwestern Colombia. It is classed as Critically Endangered and threatened by the fungal disease chytridiomycosis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Loma tree frog</span> Species of amphibian

The La Loma tree frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae found in Costa Rica, Panama, and expected but not confirmed in Colombia. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland and montane forests, with breeding taking place in streams. It is threatened by habitat loss and chytridiomycosis.

<i>Telmatobius macrostomus</i> Species of amphibian


Telmatobius macrostomus, also known as the Lake Junin (giant) frog or Andes smooth frog, is a very large and endangered species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. This completely aquatic frog is endemic to lakes and associated waters at altitudes of 4,000–4,600 m (13,100–15,100 ft) in the Andes of Junín and Pasco in central Peru. It has been introduced to slow-moving parts of the upper Mantaro River, although it is unclear if this population still persists.

The Kroombit tinker frog, also sometimes referred to as Pleione's torrent frog, is a species of frog in the family Myobatrachidae. It is endemic to Central Queensland in Australia. It lives among rocks and leaf litter near small flowing streams.

Du Toit's torrent frog, the Mt. Elgon torrent frog, or the Kenya rocky river frog is a species of frog in the family Petropedetidae endemic to Mount Elgon in Kenya; it has not been found on the Ugandan part of the mountain. It is one of many, often taxonomically unrelated, frogs referred to as torrent frogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EDGE species</span>

Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species are animal species which have a high 'EDGE score', a metric combining endangered conservation status with the genetic distinctiveness of the particular taxon. Distinctive species have few closely related species, and EDGE species are often the only surviving member of their genus or even higher taxonomic rank. The extinction of such species would therefore represent a disproportionate loss of unique evolutionary history and biodiversity.

<i>Ecnomiohyla rabborum</i> Species of frog in the family Hylidae

Ecnomiohyla rabborum, commonly known as Rabbs' fringe-limbed treefrog, is a possibly extinct species of frog in the family Hylidae. They were relatively large frogs that inhabited the forest canopies of central Panama. Like other members of the genus Ecnomiohyla, they were capable of gliding by spreading their enormous and fully webbed hands and feet during descent. The males of the species were highly territorial and would guard water-filled tree holes used for breeding. They were also the ones responsible for guarding and caring for the young, including providing food. They were the only known species of frog where the tadpoles derived nutrition by feeding on the skin cells of their fathers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2015). "Rhinoderma rufum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T19514A79809567. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T19514A79809567.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Rhinoderma rufum (Philippi, 1902)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 Sears, Michael; Soto-Azat, Claudio; Valenzuela-Sánchez, Andrés; Clarke, Barry T.; Busse, Klaus; Ortiz, Juan Carlos; Barrientos, Carlos; Cunningham, Andrew A. (2013). "Is chytridiomycosis driving Darwin's frogs to extinction?". PLOS ONE. 8 (11): e79862. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...879862S. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079862 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   3835940 . PMID   24278196.
  4. Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Rhinoderma Duméril and Bibron, 1841". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Whittaker, Kellie; Chantasirisivisal, Peera (2008-09-08). "Rhinoderma rufum". AmphibiaWeb. Retrieved 2013-12-06.
  6. Soto-Azat, Claudio; Valenzuela-Sánchez, Andrés; Collen, Ben; Rowcliffe, J. Marcus; Veloso, Alberto; Cunningham, Andrew A. (2013-06-12). "The Population Decline and Extinction of Darwin's Frogs". PLOS ONE. 8 (6): e66957. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...866957S. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066957 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   3680453 . PMID   23776705.
  7. EDGE Amphibians: World's Weirdest Creatures Just Got Weirder by Science daily. Sciencedaily.com (January 25, 2008). Retrieved on 2013-01-02.
  8. Jeremy Lovell (January 20, 2008) Reuters, Giant newt, tiny frog identified as most at risk. Reuters.com. Retrieved on 2013-01-02.
  9. Ian Sample (January 21, 2008) guardian.co.uk, Drive to save weird and endangered amphibians. Guardian. Retrieved on 2013-01-02.
  10. World's weirdest amphibians. Guardian (January 21, 2008). Retrieved on 2013-01-02.