Mannophryne trinitatis

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Mannophryne trinitatis
Mannophryne trinitatis.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Aromobatidae
Genus: Mannophryne
Species:
M. trinitatis
Binomial name
Mannophryne trinitatis
(Garman, 1888)
Synonyms

Phyllobates trinitatisGarman, 1888 "1887"
Colostethus trinitatus(Garman, 1888)

Contents

The yellow-throated frog, [1] Trinidadian stream frog, [2] or Trinidad poison frog [3] (Mannophryne trinitatis) is a diurnal species of frog in the family Aromobatidae that is endemic to the island of Trinidad in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. [3] Trinidad poison frogs can be found in rocky streams in moist montane forests. The species has cryptic coloration and is sexually dimorphic. Mannophryne venezuelensis from the Paria Peninsula in Venezuela were also formerly included in this species. [1] Currently this species is listed as of "Least Concern" on IUCN, but there is a general lack of understanding of its distribution. The frog experiences habitat loss. Both sexes are territorial and provide parental care together.

Description

Adult Trinidad poison frogs are a relatively small and diurnal species. Their dorsal surface is brown and dark and their flanks are mottled. The Trinidad poison frog is sexually dimorphic. Adult males have grey throats and average 25 mm in snout-vent length. Females have bright yellow throats and average 28 mm. Adult males can also change their skin color from pale brown to jet black when they engage in mate-calling to attract females. [4] Tadpoles, in contrast, start around 14 mm to 16 mm in length and later grow to around 37 mm after metamorphosing. [2]

The Trinidad poison frog has a well-defined and solid pigmented collar and a solid brown dorsum. It has well defined pale dorsolateral stripes and dark pigmentation around the external margin of its soles and palms. It also has a well-defined pale inguinal stripe, bandlike concentrations of melanophores along the anterior arms, and dark pigmentation on the metatarsal and subarticular tubercles of its toes. [5]

Habitat and distribution

The Trinidad poison frog is only found in the Paria Peninsula of Northern Venezuela and the Northern and Central Ranges of Trinidad, West Indies. [6] The frog can live anywhere ranging from sea level to extremely high elevations and prefers to reside around rocky streams in valleys, mountain slopes, or undisturbed moist montane forests. [7] The streams are typically narrow and shallow with slow, clear running waters and contain deeper pools where frogs can deposit and develop their tadpoles. Frogs will sometimes transport their tadpoles from these streams to live in other pools such as phytotelmata if a large number of predators exist nearby. [6]

Conservation

The Trinidad poison frog is currently listed on the IUCN Red List as “least concern”, and is not present on the CITES Endangered Species List. [1] However, a significant number of frogs have suffered regional habitat loss and degradation through pollution, deforestation, and shifting cultivation. Additionally, populations of the frog may be disappearing before they can be recorded due to a lack of population genetics analyses. One study from Venezuela, proposed direct conservation measures include forest preservation and strict regulations on agrochemical products used on coffee and cocoa plantations near streams. [5]

Home range and territoriality

Trinidad poison frogs engage in two types of territorial defense. The first involves nonreproductive regions where frogs will defend resource access to food, water, and shelter. The second involves large reproductive regions where frogs will defend against conspecific calling rivals during the breeding season. [8] Adult females engage in territorial defense more often than males. [9]

Adult female Trinidad poison frogs display territorial defense against other frogs through aggressive behaviors such as visual threat displays, wrestling, and chasing. [10] During threat displays, females will reveal their bright yellow throats against intruders. [11]

Adult males, in contrast, defend their territories against both predators and other male intruders by producing advertisement calls at their calling sites. Such defense is intended to deter competitors and attract females as potential mates. [8]

Diet

Adult Trinidad poison frogs often feed on arthropods and small insects such as Drosophila ( D. hydei and D. melanogaster ) and Callosobruchus chinensis . [7] In contrast, tadpoles are usually herbivorous and feed on algae and leaf litter. Frogs and tadpoles also consume bat guano and invertebrate infauna as food. [9]

Reproduction and mating

Reproductive characteristics such as intraovarian clutch size and tadpole size for Trinidad poison frogs differ according to the frog's biogeography. In Trinidad, clutch size ranged from 6 in to 13 in from the Northern Range and 12 in to 26 in from the Tamana cave of the Central Range hills. [9]

Adult males court females from a distance by producing advertisement calls. Additionally, they engage in throat display and toe tip jumping. As they vocalize, their skin color changes from pale brown to jet black. When a nearby female receives a male's call signal or notices its skin coloration, the female will leave its territory and approach the calling male to engage in amplexus. The pair then moves to oviposition sites such as rock crevices or wet leaves near streams. [4]

Parental care

Adult female Trinidad poison frogs lay their eggs near streams following increased humidity from rainfall. [12]

Adult males then guard and tend to the eggs until they hatch after about 21 days. When predation risk is high, males will transport their tadpoles on their backs for long distances between 3 and 4 days and selectively deposit them into predator free pools. Such tadpole transportation does not incur significant costs on adult males in terms of reduced feeding. Males are unable to breed with females while transporting tadpoles. [2] [4]

Enemies

The Trinidad poison frog and its tadpoles are commonly preyed on by a killifish species ( Anablepsoides hartii) and shrimp of the genus Macrobrachium . The frog species also suffers from various intestinal parasites, or helminths, such as cestodes, nematodes, and acanthocephalans. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poison dart frog</span> Family of amphibians

Poison dart frog is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central and South America. These species are diurnal and often have brightly colored bodies. This bright coloration is correlated with the toxicity of the species, making them aposematic. Some species of the family Dendrobatidae exhibit extremely bright coloration along with high toxicity, while others have cryptic coloration with minimal to no amount of observed toxicity. The species that have great toxicity derive this feature from their diet of ants, mites and termites. However, other species that exhibit cryptic coloration, and low to no amounts of toxicity, eat a much larger variety of prey. Many species of this family are threatened due to human infrastructure encroaching on their habitats.

<i>Mannophryne</i> Genus of amphibians

Mannophryne is a genus of frogs native to Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago. They are sometimes known as the fingered poison frogs. This genus was created in 1992 and corresponds to the former Colostethus trinitatis species group. All species have a dark throat collar.

Hyloxalus awa is a species of frog in the family Dendrobatidae. It is endemic to Ecuador and known from the western Andean slopes and the western Pacific lowlands.

Leucostethus brachistriatus is a species of frog in the family Dendrobatidae. It is endemic to Colombia and occurs on the western slopes of Cordillera Central and on Cordillera Occidental. Common name stripe-throated rocket frog has been proposed for it.

Allobates chalcopis, also known as the Martinique volcano frog or ravine rocket frog, is a species of frog in the family Aromobatidae. It is endemic to Martinique, where it is found at high-altitude areas including Mount Pelée and potentially most of the Carbet Mountains. It is threatened by climate change, which has led to it being extirpated from the lower-lying reaches of its already-small range, and may lead to a continued population decline and range contraction.

<i>Hyloxalus elachyhistus</i> Species of frog

Hyloxalus elachyhistus is a species of frog in the family Dendrobatidae. It is found in southern Ecuador and northern Peru, in the Huancabamba Depression and south to Cajabamba Province.

<i>Colostethus inguinalis</i> Species of frog

Colostethus inguinalis is a species of frog in the family Dendrobatidae. It is endemic to northwestern and northcentral Colombia. Its vernacular name is common rocket frog, although this name can also refer to Colostethus panamansis that until 2004 was considered a junior synonym of Colostethus inguinalis. Much of the older literature on Colostethus inguinalis is actually about Colostethus panamansis.

<i>Allobates marchesianus</i> Species of frog

Allobates marchesianus, also known as the dull rocket frog, is a species of frog in the family Aromobatidae. It is found in the Amazon Basin in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. However, this species might represent a cryptic species complex, where at least the populations from Venezuela belong to an undescribed species.

<i>Hyloxalus nexipus</i> Species of frog

Hyloxalus nexipus is a species of frog in the family Dendrobatidae. It is found on eastern slopes and foothills of the Andes from southeastern Ecuador south to the region of Yurimaguas in Peru.

<i>Anomaloglossus parkerae</i> Species of frog

Anomaloglossus parkerae is a species of frog in the family Aromobatidae. As currently known, it is endemic to Venezuela and is only know from near its type locality in the La Escalera, the Bolívar state, Venezuela, near the Guyanese border. However, its range is expected to extend southward to the Gran Sabana as well as into the adjacent Guyana. The specific name parkerae honors Dr. Nancy Parker, undergraduate adviser of one of the scientists who described the species.

<i>Anomaloglossus stepheni</i> Species of frog

Anomaloglossus stepheni is a species of frog in the family Aromobatidae. It is found in French Guiana and adjacent Suriname and Brazil.

<i>Anomaloglossus triunfo</i> Species of frog

Anomaloglossus triunfo is a species of frog in the family Aromobatidae. It is endemic to Venezuela and is only known from the summit and slopes of Cerro Santa Rosa, on the northwestern slopes of Sierra de Lema, Bolívar state. It might be synonym of Anomaloglossus parkerae. The specific name triunfo is the name of the camp site that was used as the base for herpetological surveys by one of the scientists who described the species.

<i>Anomaloglossus wothuja</i> Species of frog

Anomaloglossus wothuja is a species of frog in the family Aromobatidae. It is endemic to Venezuela and is only known from its type locality, the base of Cerro Sipapo, in the Amazonas state. It appears to be endemic to the Cerro Cuao massif but might occur more widely in similar granitic areas.

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

Lutz's poison frog is a species of frog in the family Dendrobatidae found in Bolivia and Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, rivers, intermittent freshwater marshes, and rocky areas. Reproduction occurs in rocky pools and streams. Eggs are laid under a rock and the male transports tadpoles to wet trenches or small rocky pools. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Mannophryne lamarcai is a species of frog in the family Aromobatidae. It is endemic to Venezuela and inhabits a narrow altitudinal band in the Ziruma mountains between the states of Zulia, Falcón and Lara. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<i>Phytotriades</i> Genus of amphibians

Phytotriades is a genus of tree frogs in the family Hylidae. As currently delimited, the genus is monotypic and contains Phytotriades auratus, commonly known as the golden tree frog, bromeliad-dwelling treefrog, El Tucuche golden tree frog, or Trinidad heart-tongued frog.

<i>Phyllomedusa trinitatis</i> Species of frog

Phyllomedusa trinitatis is a species of frog in the subfamily Phyllomedusinae. It is found in Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical moist shrublands, freshwater marshes, heavily degraded former forests, ponds, and canals and ditches. It is threatened by habitat loss. An interesting characteristic of this frog is it has no webbing on the hands and feet. Researchers suggest that the unique toes might be due to both habitats and its predation behavior. A common predator of this frog's tadpole is dragon fly larva. It can produce poisonous secretion for predator defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climbing mantella</span> Species of frog

The climbing mantella is a species of diurnal poison frog of the genus Mantella that resides in the subtropical regions of northeast Madagascar. Although it spends a significant amount of time in trees or bamboo forests, this frog species is not fully terrestrial and actively seeks areas with a water source.

<i>Anomaloglossus kaiei</i> Species of amphibian

Anomaloglossus kaiei is a species of frogs in the family Aromobatidae, commonly known as the Kaie rock frog. It was named in honor of Kaie, a great Chieftain of the Patamona tribe, who sacrificed himself to the Great Spirit Makonaima by canoeing over the Kaieteur falls in order to save his own people. It is endemic to Guyana where it is known from the Kaieteur National Park and the Pacaraima Mountains. However, as it is found along the Guyana–Brazil border, it is also possibly present in Brazil. This frog shows maternal care: female frogs can provide tadpoles with trophic eggs.

Hyloxalus maculosus is a species of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae. It is endemic to the eastern slopes of Ecuadorian Andes in Napo and Pastaza provinces at elevations of 460 to 1,150 m asl.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Mannophryne trinitatis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T55251A79080374. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T55251A79080374.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Downie, J. R.; Robinson, E.; Linklater‐McLennan, R. J.; Somerville, E.; Kamenos, N. (2005). "Are there costs to extended larval transport in the Trinidadian stream frog, Mannophryne trinitatis (Dendrobatidae)?". Journal of Natural History. 39 (22): 2023–2034. doi:10.1080/00222930400026985. S2CID   85309099.
  3. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Mannophryne trinitatis (Garman, 1888)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Downie, J. R., & Cormack, S. R. L. A. J. R. (2001). Selection of tadpole deposition sites by male Trinidadian stream frogs, Mannophryne trinitatis (Dendrobatidae) an example of antipredator behaviour. Herpetological Journal, 11(3), 91–100.
  5. 1 2 Manzanilla, J., Jowers, M., Marca, E., & García-París, M. (2007). Taxonomic reassessment of Mannophryne trinitatis (Anura: Dendrobatidae) with a description of a new species from Venezuela. The Herpetological Journal, 17, 31–42.
  6. 1 2 Jowers, M., & Downie, J. (2004). Distribution of the frog Mannophryne trinitatis (Anura: Dendrobatidae) in Trinidad, West Indies. Living World, 2004.
  7. 1 2 "Mannophryne trinitatis (Trinidad Stream Frog)" (PDF). Sta.uwi.edu. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  8. 1 2 Pröhl, H. (2005). Territorial Behavior in Dendrobatid Frogs. Journal of Herpetology, 39(3), 354–365.
  9. 1 2 3 Cummins, C. P., & Swan, M. J. S. (1995). Variation in Reproductive Characteristics of the Stream Frog Colostethus trinitatis on the Island of Trinidad. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 11(4), 603–618.
  10. ↑ Durant, P., & Dole, J. W. (1975). Aggressive Behavior in Colostethus (=Prostherapis) collaris (Anura: Dendrobatidae). Herpetologica, 31(1), 23–26.
  11. ↑ Greener, M. S., Hutton, E., Pollock, C. J., Wilson, A., Lam, C. Y., Nokhbatolfoghahai, M., Jowers, M. J., & Downie, J. R. (2020). Sexual dichromatism in the neotropical genus Mannophryne (Anura: Aromobatidae). PLOS ONE, 15(7), e0223080. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223080
  12. ↑ Praderio, M. J., & Robinson, M. D. (1990). Reproduction in the Toad Colostethus trinitatus (Anura: Dendrobatidae) in a Northern Venezuela Seasonal Environment. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 6(3), 333–341.
  13. ↑ Kaiser, H. (2002). Intestinal helminths of seven frog species from Trinidad and Tobago. Caribbean Journal of Science, 38(1-2), 147-150.
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