Pristimantis variabilis

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Pristimantis variabilis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Strabomantidae
Genus: Pristimantis
Subgenus: Pristimantis
Species:
P. variabilis
Binomial name
Pristimantis variabilis
(Lynch  [ fr ], 1968)
Synonyms [2]
  • Eleutherodactylus variabilisLynch, 1968 [3]

Pristimantis variabilis is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. [2] [4] [5] It is found in the lowland Amazon rainforest and Andean slopes in southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and western Brazil [1] [2] [4] [5] (Amphibian Species of the World includes Brazil only tentatively [2] ). The specific name variabilis refers to the variable dorsal coloration of this frog. [3] Common name variable robber frog has been proposed for it. [2] [4]

Contents

Description

Adult males measure 16–22 mm (0.6–0.9 in) and adult females 22–27 mm (0.9–1.1 in) in snout–vent length. The snout is acuminate in dorsal view and sloping in lateral profile. The tympanum is round and the supratympanic fold is well defined. The finger tips bear discs but no lateral fringes or webbing. The toe tips bear discs. The toes have poorly developed lateral fringes and slight webbing. Skin is dorsally shagreened, rarely smooth. The dorsum has variable coloration: the ground color can be cream, greenish brown, red, brown, or yellow, and there are brown, greenish brown, or reddish brown spots or stripes; these can be edged in yellow or yellow-green. The flanks are paler than the dorsum and marked with brown or black spots or bars. The posterior surface of thigh is usually dark gray-brown but is reddish-brown and reticulated with gray-brown in some individuals. The venter is white to creamy white and is flecked or spotted with black or greenish-brown. The groin is lemon-yellow edged with black. The iris is bronze with reddish or bronze horizontal stripe. The lip is bronze. There is also yellow or yellow-bronze spot below eye and dark brown or black canthalstripe. [3]

Habitat and conservation

Pristimantis variabilis occurs in primary and secondary forests and in disturbed areas [1] at elevations of 0–2,047 m (0–6,716 ft) above sea level. [4] It can be found on low vegetation at night and on the forest floor during the day. Development is direct [1] (i.e, there is no free-living larval stage [6] ).

Pristimantis variabilis appears to be a common species over much of its range, and large areas of suitable habitat remain. It does not appear to face significant threats. It is present in a number of protected areas. [1]

Related Research Articles

Pristimantis actinolaimus is a frog species in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Colombia and only known from the vicinity of its type locality, El Estadero, in Samaná, Caldas Department, on the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Central. The specific name actinolaimus is derived from the Greek aktinos (=ray) and laimos (=throat) and refers to the radiating lines on the throat of this frog.

Pristimantis croceoinguinis is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is found in the lowland Amazon rainforest of southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, and extreme north-eastern Peru, likely also extending into the adjacent Brazil. The specific name croceoinguinis refers to the color of the inguinal spots of this frog. Common name Santa Cecilia robber frog has been proposed for it.

Niceforonia dolops is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is found in the Andes of southern Colombia and northern Ecuador. Specifically, it is known from the Cordillera Oriental and Colombian Massif in Caquetá and Putumayo Departments, Colombia, and Napo Province, Ecuador. Common name Putumayo robber frog has been coined for it.

Pristimantis eremitus is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is found in the Cordillera Occidental in north-western Ecuador from the Cotopaxi Province northward and on western slope of the Colombian Massif in the Nariño Department, extreme south-western Colombia. The specific name eremitus is Latin for "lonely" or "solitary" and refers to this species being the only western-Andean species among its closest relatives. Common names Chiriboga robber frog and lonely rainfrog have been coined for it.

Pristimantis lichenoides is a species of frogs in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Colombia and is only known from the vicinity of its type locality near Samaná in the Caldas Department, on the eastern slope of the Cordillera Central. The specific name lichenoides refers to its lichen-like dorsal coloration as well as its habit of being plastered to rock surfaces, resembling lichens growing on rocks.

Pristimantis maculosus is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Colombia and is only known from a few localities in the Cordillera Central in Caldas, Antioquia, and Quindío Departments. The specific name maculosus is Latin for "dappled" or "spotted" and refers to the pale spots on the hidden surfaces of this species. Common name spotted robber frog has been coined for it.

Pristimantis myops is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Colombia and known from the Cordillera Occidental in Antioquia, Chocó, and Valle del Cauca Departments. The specific name myops is Greek meaning "near-sighted", in allusion to the interocular fold that resembles the bridge of a pair of glasses, as well as to the small size of these frogs, which forced the species describer to wear reading glass while collecting them.

Pristimantis obmutescens is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Colombia and known from the páramos of Cordillera Central in the Cauca and Huila Departments. Common name paramos robber frog has been coined for it. The specific name obmutescens is Latin and means "keeping silent", inferred from the lack of vocal slits or sac in males and the thick skin covering the tympanum. Despite this, the species is reported to call.

Pristimantis ortizi is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. As currently known, it is endemic to northern Ecuador where it occurs on the Cordillera Oriental in the Carchi, Imbabura, and Napo Provinces, but it is likely to also occur in adjacent Colombia. The specific name ortizi honors Fernando Ortiz-Crespo, a prominent Ecuadorian ornithologist. Common names Ortiz robber frog and Ortiz's robber frog have been proposed for this species.

Pristimantis piceus is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Colombia and occurs in the Cordillera Central between the Antioquia Department in the north and the Cauca Department in the south. Many specimens are black in color, and the specific name piceus is Latin meaning "pitch-black".

Pristimantis rhodoplichus, also known as the Canchaque robber frog, is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is found in the Andes of southern Ecuador and northern Peru. The specific name rhodoplichus, from the Greek rhodon and plichas, refers to the rose-red color of the hidden surfaces of its thighs.

Pristimantis rosadoi is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is found in north-western Ecuador in Carchi, Esmeraldas, and Pichincha provinces, and in the adjacent Colombia in the Nariño Department as well as on the Gorgona Island; there is some doubt about the identity of the Gorgona Island specimens, while the checklist of Colombian amphibians only mentions the Gorgona record. The specific name rosadoi honors José P. O. Rosado, herpetologist at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and also alludes to similarity of this species to Pristimantis roseus. Common name Rosado's robber frog has been proposed for it.

Pristimantis serendipitus is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is found in the Andes of northern Peru and adjacent southern Ecuador. The specific name refers to serendipitous discovery of this species: collection at the type locality was only made because the road was closed by an accident. Common name Colan Mountains robber frog has been proposed for this species.

Pristimantis simonbolivari is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Ecuador and known only from the region of its type locality, Cashca Totoras, Cordillera Occidental, in the Bolívar Province. The specific name simonbolivari honors Simón Bolívar. Common name Simon's ground frog has been proposed for it.

Pristimantis simoteriscus is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Colombia and occurs in the Cordillera Central in the Tolima, Quindío, and Caldas Departments. There is also an unconfirmed record from the Valle del Cauca Department. The specific name simoteriscus is diminutive of simoterus, chosen because adult P. simoteriscus resemble juvenile individuals of Pristimantis simoterus.

Pristimantis tribulosus is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Colombia and is only known from the vicinity of its type locality near Samaná in the Caldas Department, on the eastern slope of the Cordillera Central. The specific name tribulosus, meaning "thorny", refers to the numerous tubercles that cover the upper surfaces of this species.

<i>Pristimantis uranobates</i> Species of frog

Pristimantis uranobates is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Colombia and occurs in the Cordillera Central as well as on the western slopes of Cordillera Occidental in Tolima, Quindío, Caldas, Risaralda, and Antioquia Departments. The specific name uranobates is derived from Greek ouranos and bates, meaning "one who haunts the heavens". This refers to "the lofty habitat of the species in the Los Nevados district of Colombia". Common name Caldas robber frog has been coined for it.

Pristimantis vertebralis is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to the Andes of Ecuador and occurs in the Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Bolívar, and Azuay provinces. Common name vertebral robber frog has been coined for it.

<i>Pristimantis viejas</i> Species of frog

Pristimantis viejas is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to the Andes of Colombia and is known from eastern flanks/base of the northern Cordillera Central and from western flank of the Cordillera Oriental. The specific name viejas is a Spanish expression meaning "pretty young women", in reference to three biologist who had studied this species.

<i>Pristimantis mallii</i> Species of frog

Pristimantis mallii is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Described in 2019, it is only known from the Río Zuñag Reserve on the eastern slope of the Andes, in the upper basin of the Pastaza River. The specific name mallii honors V. N. Mallikarjuna "Malli" Rao, winner of Lavoisier Medal who helped develop an environmentally safe alternative to the fluorocarbons and whose donation helped establish the Río Zuñag Reserve. Common name Malli's rain frog has been coined for this species.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Fernando Castro, Maria Isabel Herrera, Claudia Azevedo-Ramos, Luis A. Coloma, Santiago Ron, Lily Rodríguez, Javier Icochea, Jorge Luis Martinez (2004). "Pristimantis variabilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2004: e.T57029A11571157. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T57029A11571157.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Frost, Darrel R. (2022). "Pristimantis variabilis (Lynch, 1968)". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Lynch, John D. (1968). "Two new frogs of the genus Eleutherodactylus from eastern Ecuador (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae)". Journal of Herpetology. 2 (3/4): 129–135. doi:10.2307/1563112. JSTOR   1563112.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Frenkel, C.; et al. (2018). Ron, S. R.; Merino-Viteri, A. & Ortiz, D. A. (eds.). "Pristimantis variabilis". Anfibios del Ecuador. Version 2019.0. Museo de Zoología, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (QCAZ). Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  5. 1 2 Acosta Galvis, A. R. (2020). "Pristimantis variabilis (Lynch, 1968)". Lista de los Anfibios de Colombia: Referencia en linea V.10.2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  6. Vitt, Laurie J. & Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. p. 166.