Horned marsupial frog

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Horned marsupial frog
Gastrotheca cornuta V.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hemiphractidae
Genus: Gastrotheca
Species:
G. cornuta
Binomial name
Gastrotheca cornuta
(Boulenger, 1898)
Synonyms

Hyla ceratophrysStejneger, 1911

The horned marsupial frog (Gastrotheca cornuta), [2] originally named Nototrema cornutum (Boulenger) after the first describer George Albert Boulenger in 1898), [3] is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. [4] It is an arboreal species found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and montane cloud forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. [1]

Contents

Description

An adult Gastrotheca cornuta grows to about 7 to 8 centimetres (2.8 to 3.1 in) long. The head is broad and the snout is rounded when viewed from above. The iris of the eye is bronze with a greenish center and the upper eyelid has a triangular peak. The skin on the back is smooth and has a number of transverse ridges. The fingers are unwebbed but have circular pads on their tips. The hind legs are long and the toes are partially webbed. The female has a pouch on her lower back in which she broods her eggs. The body color is pale brown at night but dark brown by day and there are pale markings between the mouth and eyes during the day. Permanent color features include narrow dark transverse stripes on the body, a dark line running from near the eye to the groin and a pinkish or light brown belly. [5]

Distribution

Gastrotheca cornuta is a nocturnal species and is found in tropical forests and lower montane cloud forests in Limón Province, Costa Rica, and in adjoining areas of Panama on the Atlantic slope at altitudes between 300 and 700 metres (980 and 2,300 ft). In Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama it occurs on the Pacific side of the divide at altitudes between 90 and 1,000 metres (300 and 3,280 ft) above sea level. It lives high in the forest canopy. [5]

Life cycle

The male Gastrotheca cornuta calls from high in the canopy to attract a mate. His call sounds like a champagne cork being drawn. The eggs of Gastrotheca cornuta are the largest known amphibian eggs. [5] They are carried in individual chambers in the female's brood pouch. The developing embryos have umbrella-like external gills that spread out against the pouch wall, which is highly vascular. Gas exchange takes place through the wall of the pouch. There is no free-living tadpole stage for this species and when their development is complete, tiny froglets make their way out of the brood pouch. [5]

Status

Gastrotheca cornuta is listed as "Critically Endangered" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Numbers of individuals across its range have been decreasing and it is no longer present in Costa Rica and Panama on the Atlantic slope. It has also decreased in numbers in Colombia and in Ecuador where it never was common. Its status in eastern Panama is unknown. The reasons for its decline include the disease chytridiomycosis, deforestation, and human activities. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Gastrotheca</i> Genus of amphibians

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">Silver-throated tanager</span> Species of bird from South America

The silver-throated tanager is a species of passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and northeastern Peru. It inhabits mossy forests, montane evergreen forests, tropical lowland evergreen forests and forest edges, along with tall secondary forests and disturbed habitat with remnant trees and forest. It is 13 centimetres (5.1 in) long and weighs 22 grams (0.78 oz) on average, and shows slight sexual dimorphism, with duller female plumage. Adult males are mainly bright yellow, with a silvery-white throat bordered above with a black stripe on the cheeks, black streaking on the back, and green edges to the wings and tail. Juveniles are duller and greener.

Silverstoneia nubicola is a species of frog in the family Dendrobatidae. It is found in western Colombia, Panama, and southwestern Costa Rica.

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 the Andes in southern Colombia and Ecuador.

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

Gastrotheca argenteovirens is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is endemic to Colombia and occurs in the Colombian Massif, Cordillera Central, and Cordillera Occidental in the Quindío, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Cauca, and Nariño Departments. Common name Popayan marsupial frog has been coined for it.

<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.

Gastrotheca nicefori is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is found in the Andes of Colombia, on the Andean slopes of northern Venezuela, and in the highlands of eastern and central Panama.

<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.

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

The Andean marsupial tree frog, 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. 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.

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.

Gastrotheca zeugocystis is a species of frogs in the family Hemiphractidae. It is endemic to Peru and only known from its type locality on the Cordillera de Carpish, Huánuco Region. The specific name zeugocystis refers to the paired brood pouches in this species.

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

The smoky jungle frog is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama, French Guiana, Perú and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, subtropical or tropical swamps, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, rivers, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, and aquaculture ponds.

Ctenophryne aterrima is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is found in northwestern Ecuador, the Andes of Colombia, and lowland and premontane zones of Panama and Costa Rica to about 1,600 m (5,200 ft) above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Panamanian montane forests</span>

The Eastern Panamanian montane forests (NT0122) is an ecoregion in the east of Panama and the extreme northwest of Colombia. It contains diverse flora and fauna, with considerable endemism. The ecoregion is largely intact due to its inaccessibility, although the opening of an extension of the Pan-American Highway has introduced threats from human activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Ecuador moist forests</span>

The Western Ecuador Moist Forests (NT0178), also known as the Pacific Forest of Ecuador, is an ecoregion in the plains and western foothills of the Andes of southern Colombia and Ecuador. At one time this region contained dense forests with highly diverse flora and fauna, and many endemic species. Most of the original habitat has now been destroyed, and the ecoregion is one of the most threatened in the world.

<i>Cruziohyla sylviae</i> Species of amphibian

Cruziohyla sylviae, also known as Sylvia's tree frog, is a large colourful species of tree frog from Central America. People have seen it between 30 and 1600 meters above sea level.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Coloma, L.A.; Ron, S.R.; Jungfer, K.; Grant, T.; Cisneros-Heredia, D.F.; Solís, F.; Ibáñez, R.; Chaves, G.; Savage, J.; Jaramillo, C.; Fuenmayor, Q.; Bolaños, F.; Lips, K.; Lynch, J.; Almendáriz, A. (2008). "Gastrotheca cornuta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2008: e.T55329A11294031. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T55329A11294031.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. "Horned marsupial frog (Gastrotheca cornuta)". ARKive. Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  3. GBIF-Global Biodiversity Information Facility; accessdate 2019-02-19
  4. Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Gastrotheca cornuta (Boulenger, 1898)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Gallup, Lettie (2009). "Gastrotheca cornuta". AmphibiaWeb. Retrieved 2012-10-13.