Telmatobius vellardi

Telmatobius vellardi
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Telmatobiidae
Genus:	Telmatobius
Species:	T. vellardi
Binomial name
Telmatobius vellardi Munsterman & Leviton, 1959

Telmatobius vellardi is a species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. It is endemic to Ecuador. ^{[2] [3] [1]}

Etymology

Scientists named the frog for Jehan Vellard, who worked at the Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad de San Marcos, called the Museo Javier Prado, in Lima, Peru. ^[3]

Description

The adult male frog measures about 62.2–72.9 mm long in snout-vent length and the adult female frog about 78 mm. Typically, the skin of the dorsum is yellow-brown or olive green in color with black or dark brown spots and marks. The belly is gray, light yellow, light green, or light brown with yellow spots or a gray pattern. The sides of the body are yellow in color with some gray or light brown. The iris of the eye is gray or olive-green in color with black marks. Some individuals have other coloration: A dark brown head and body with many yellow spots, more toward the sides of the body. These frogs have lighter flanks and lips. The tops of the legs are dark brown. The webbed skin is light gray. The irises of their eyes are mottled gray in color. In some individuals, the belly is mottled white and gray. ^[3]

Habitat

This frog has been found near streams and rivers in montane forests and shrublands. Scientists observed this frog between 2500 and 3050 meters above sea level. ^{[2] [1]}

The frog's known range overlaps with one protected park, Parque Nacional Podocarpus. ^[1]

Relationship to humans

People catch other frogs in the genus Telmatobius to eat. ^[1]

Threats

Scientists from the IUCN classify this frog as critically endangered. Diseases, including nematode infections and the fungal disease chytridiomycosis. Habitat loss in favor of ranching, agriculture, human habitation, and logging also poses a threat. ^[1]

References

1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2017). "Vellard's Water Frog: Telmatobius vellardi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T57366A98655753. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T57366A98655753.en . Retrieved July 25, 2025.{{cite iucn}}: |date= / |doi= mismatch (help)
2. Frost, Darrel R. "Telmatobius brevipes Munsterman and Leviton, 1959". Amphibian Species of the World, an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
3. Julio C. Carrión; Luis A. Coloma; Caty Frenkel; Cristina Félix-Novoa (June 17, 2010). Luis A. Coloma (ed.). "Telmatobius vellardi Munsterman and Leviton, 1959". AmphibiaWeb (in Spanish). University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved July 25, 2025.