Phyllomedusa bicolor

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Phyllomedusa bicolor
Phyllomedusa bicolor01a.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hylidae
Genus: Phyllomedusa
Species:
P. bicolor
Binomial name
Phyllomedusa bicolor
(Boddaert, 1772)
Americas Phyllomedusa bicolor.jpg
Synonyms
  • Rana bicolorBoddaert, 1772
  • Hyla bicolor(Boddaert, 1772)

Phyllomedusa bicolor, the giant leaf frog, bicolor tree-frog, giant monkey frog, [2] or waxy-monkey treefrog, [3] is a species of leaf frog. It can be found in the Amazon basin of Brazil, Colombia (Amazonas), Bolivia, and Peru, and can also be found in the Guianan Region of Venezuela and the Guianas, and in Cerrado of the state of Maranhão in Brazil. [4]

Description

Males measure 91–103 mm (3.6–4.1 in) and females 111–119 mm (4.4–4.7 in) in snout–vent length. The dorsum is lime green whereas the belly is white to yellow-white or cream. Lower lips, chest and front legs bear sparse white spots with dark frames; these are more dense on the flanks and hind legs. Fingers are transparent brown and have large, green adhesive discs. There is a prominent gland extending from behind each eye over the tympanum. The iris is dark gray. [3]

Distribution and habitat

It is found throughout the Amazon Rainforest in Bolivia, the Guianas, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru. This frog has been found in gallery forest. [1]

Ecology and behaviour

A giant leaf frog seated. Jielbeaumadier phyllomeduse singe mjp paris 2014.jpeg
A giant leaf frog seated.

The giant leaf frog is a nocturnal, arboreal frog. Males call from trees in tropical humid forests. Males fight each other for mating rights by using their heads to attempt to separate another male who is attached to a female. Males fend off rivals using a series of aggressive calls and use their hind legs to push away the rival. [4] During mating season, males may be targeted more by predators as the fights between males are very vocal and can be easily heard by predators. However, to combat this, giant leaf frogs produce peptides in their skin that serves as a chemical defense. [4] Giant leaf frogs reproduce like most frog species through amplexus, where the male climbs onto the female's back to fertilize the eggs. [4] The female and male construct a leaf-nest above forest pools, where the eggs are laid in a gelatinous mass of about 70 cm above the water. The eggs hatch from these nests in approximately 14 days, and the tadpoles fall into the water, where they continue the development into adult frogs. Peak reproduction occurs during the rainy season. [3] [4] Eggs of the giant leaf frog are heavily predated and have a predation rate of up to 61%. Species that prey on the eggs include Staphilynid beetles, phorid flies, mammals – specifically capuchin monkeys– and other predators, such as snakes. The eggs are predated because they are source of protein for predators. [5]

Conservation

The IUCN endangered species database lists them in the "Least Concern" category, in view of their current wide distribution and large population. [1]

Medicinal use

The skin secretion of the giant leaf frog is known as Vacina do sapo (frog vaccine) and contains the opioid peptides deltorphin, deltorphin I, deltorphin II and dermorphin. [6] [7] [8] [9] The secretion, known as Kambo or Sapo, has seen increasing popularity in cleansing rituals, where it induces intense vomiting. [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

Corticotropin-releasing factor family, CRF family is a family of related neuropeptides in vertebrates. This family includes corticotropin-releasing hormone, urotensin-I, urocortin, and sauvagine. The family can be grouped into 2 separate paralogous lineages, with urotensin-I, urocortin and sauvagine in one group and CRH forming the other group. Urocortin and sauvagine appear to represent orthologues of fish urotensin-I in mammals and amphibians, respectively. The peptides have a variety of physiological effects on stress and anxiety, vasoregulation, thermoregulation, growth and metabolism, metamorphosis and reproduction in various species, and are all released as prohormones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dermorphin</span> Opioid agonist peptide compound

Dermorphin is a hepta-peptide first isolated from the skin of South American frogs belonging to the genus Phyllomedusa. The peptide is a natural opioid that binds as an agonist with high potency and selectivity to mu opioid receptors. Dermorphin is about 30–40 times more potent than morphine, but theoretically may be less likely to produce drug tolerance and addiction due to its high potency. The amino acid sequence of dermorphin is H-Tyr-D-Ala-Phe-Gly-Tyr-Pro-Ser-NH2.

<i>Phyllomedusa</i> Genus of amphibians

Phyllomedusa is a genus of tree frogs in the subfamily Phyllomedusinae found in tropical and subtropical South America and Panama. It has 16 recognised species.

<i>Phyllomedusa burmeisteri</i> Species of amphibian

Phyllomedusa burmeisteri, also known as Burmeister's leaf frog and common walking leaf frog, is a species of frog native to the Atlantic Forest biome in Brazil.

<i>Phyllomedusa sauvagii</i> Species of amphibian

Phyllomedusa sauvagii, the waxy monkey leaf frog or waxy monkey tree frog, is a species of frog in the subfamily Phyllomedusinae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil. This species is arboreal, living in the vegetation of the Gran Chaco.

Dermaseptins are a family of peptides isolated from skin of the frog genus Phyllomedusa. The sequence of the dermaseptins varies greatly but due to the presence of lysine residues all are cationic and most have the potential to form amphipathic helices in water or when integrated with the lipid bilayer of the bacterial membrane. Clear separation of two lobes of positive and negative intramolecular electrostatic potential is thought to be important in cytotoxic activity. Dermaseptins are typically 27-34 amino acid residues in length and were the first vertebrate peptides demonstrated as having a lethal effect on the filamentous fungi implicated in severe opportunistic infections accompanying immunodeficiency syndrome and immunosuppressive drug therapy.

<i>Dendropsophus ebraccatus</i> Species of amphibian

Dendropsophus ebraccatus, also known as the hourglass treefrog, referring to the golden-brown hourglass shape seen surrounded by skin yellow on its back. Their underbellies are yellow. Their arms and lower legs usually display bold patterns while their upper legs or thighs are light yellow giving them the appearance of wearing no pants. The species name "ebraccata" translates to "without trousers" in Latin.

<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.

<i>Callimedusa tomopterna</i> Species of frog

Callimedusa tomopterna, the tiger-striped tree frog, is a species of frog in the subfamily Phyllomedusinae. It is found in northern South America in the Upper Amazon Basin of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, Amazonian Brazil, and the Guianas from southeastern Venezuela to French Guiana. It might represent more than one species.

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

Phyllomedusa trinitatis is a species of frog in the subfamily Phyllomedusinae. It is found in Venezuela and the island of Trinidad.

<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.

<i>Lithodytes</i> Genus of amphibians

Lithodytes is a genus of frogs in the family of Leptodactylidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species, Lithodytes lineatus, also commonly known as the gold-striped frog or painted antnest frog. It is found in tropical South America where it lives in humid forests among the leaf litter. These frogs build foam nests at the edge of temporary pools, and the tadpoles develop within these. The frogs also associate with certain leafcutter ants and breed inside their nests without being attacked by the ants.

Bombesin-like peptides comprise a large family of peptides which were initially isolated from amphibian skin, where they stimulate smooth muscle contraction. They were later found to be widely distributed in mammalian neural and endocrine cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vittorio Erspamer</span>

Vittorio Erspamer was an Italian pharmacologist and chemist, known for the identification, synthesis and pharmacological studies of more than sixty new chemical compounds, most notably serotonin and octopamine.

Deltorphin I, also known as [D-Ala2]deltorphin I or deltorphin C, is a naturally occurring, exogenous opioid heptapeptide and hence, exorphin, with the amino acid sequence Tyr-D-Ala-Phe-Asp-Val-Val-Gly-NH2. While not known to be endogenous to humans or other mammals, deltorphin I, along with the other deltorphins and the dermorphins, is produced naturally in the skin of species of Phyllomedusa, a genus of frogs native to South and Central America. Deltorphin possesses very high affinity and selectivity as an agonist for the δ-opioid receptor, and on account of its unusually high blood-brain-barrier penetration rate, produces centrally-mediated analgesic effects in animals even when administered peripherally.

Deltorphin, also known as deltorphin A and dermenkephalin, is a naturally occurring, exogenous opioid heptapeptide and thus, exorphin, with the amino acid sequence Tyr-D-Met-Phe-His-Leu-Met-Asp-NH2. Along with the other deltorphins (such as deltorphin I and deltorphin II) and the dermorphins, deltorphin is endogenous to frogs of the genus Phyllomedusa such as P. bicolor and P. sauvagei where it is produced in their skin, and is not known to occur naturally in any other species. Deltorphin is one of the highest affinity and most selective naturally occurring opioid peptides known, acting as a very potent and highly specific agonist of the δ-opioid receptor.

Acaté Amazon Conservation is a non-profit organization founded in 2012 by physician-ethnobotanist Christopher Herndon, M.D. and sustainable agriculturist William Park. Acaté Amazon Conservation works with the indigenous people of the Peruvian Amazon to help protect the Amazon rainforest while providing the indigenous people economic opportunities. Notable initiatives include permaculture methods for sustainable agriculture, generating income through renewable non-timber resources as well as preservation of traditional knowledge and culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kambo (drug)</span> Pseudoscientific use of tree frog secretions

Kambo, also known as vacina-do-sapo, or sapo, is the dried skin secretions of the giant leaf frog, a species of frog, used as a transdermal medicine; however, evidence for its effectiveness is limited.

References

  1. 1 2 3 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2023). "Blue-and-Yellow Frog: Phyllomedusa bicolor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2023. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T55841A61405317. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T55841A61405317.en . Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  2. ↑ Frost, Darrel R. (2015). "Phyllomedusa bicolor (Boddaert, 1772)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "Phyllomedusa bicolor". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Venâncio, Nathocley; Melo-Sampaio, Paulo (2010). "Reproductive behavior of the giant leaf frog Phyllomedusa bicolor (Anura: Hylidae) in the western Amazon". Phyllomedusa: Journal of Herpetology. 9 (1): 63–67. doi: 10.11606/issn.2316-9079.v9i1p63-67 .
  5. ↑ Neckel-Oliveira, Selvino; Wachlevski, Milena (2004). "Predation on the Arboreal Eggs of Three Species of Phyllomedusa in Central Amazonia". Journal of Herpetology. 38 (2): 244–248. doi:10.1670/162-03A. S2CID   86277566.
  6. ↑ Erspamer V, Melchiorri P, Falconieri-Erspamer G, et al. (July 1989). "Deltorphins: a family of naturally occurring peptides with high affinity and selectivity for delta opioid binding sites". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America . 86 (13): 5188–92. Bibcode:1989PNAS...86.5188E. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.13.5188 . PMC   297583 . PMID   2544892.
  7. ↑ Lacombe C, Cifuentes-Diaz C, Dunia Iz Auber-Thomay M, Nicolas P, Amiche M (September 2000). "Peptide secretion in the cutaneous glands of South American tree frog Phyllomedusa bicolor: an ultrastructural study". European Journal of Cell Biology. 79 (9): 631–641. doi:10.1078/0171-9335-00085. PMID   11043404.
  8. ↑ Melchiorri P, Negri L (1996). "The dermorphin peptide family". General Pharmacology: The Vascular System. 27 (7): 1099–107. doi:10.1016/0306-3623(95)02149-3. PMID   8981054.
  9. ↑ Amiche M, Delfour A, Nicolas P (1998). "Opioid peptides from frog skin". EXS. 85: 57–71. doi:10.1007/978-3-0348-8837-0_4. ISBN   978-3-0348-9794-5. PMID   9949868.
  10. ↑ Leban, V; Kozelk, G; Brvar, M (2016). "The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion after giant leaf frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor) venom exposure". Toxicon . 120: 107–109. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.07.007. PMID   27421671.
  11. ↑ Daly, Max (May 10, 2016). "How Amazonian Tree Frog Poison Became the Latest Treatment for Addiction". Vice . Archived from the original on September 7, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.

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