Xenohyla truncata

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Izecksohn's Brazilian tree frog
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hylidae
Genus: Xenohyla
Species:
X. truncata
Binomial name
Xenohyla truncata
(Izecksohn, 1998)
Xenohyla truncata
  Extant (resident)
Synonyms [2]
  • Hyla truncataIzecksohn, 1959
  • Hyla depressaIzecksohn, 1959

Xenohyla truncata, the Izecksohn's Brazilian treefrog, is a species of frugivorous tree frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [1] [2] [3]

The range of this frog ranges from the southern border of Espírito Santo down to Ilha da Marambaia, inhabiting mostly restingas near the coast and on some islands. [4] They shelter inside bromeliads such as Neoregelia cruenta during the day and breed in temporary pools. When disturbed, this tree frog will tilt its head down, outstretch its legs, and puff up. This posture breaks up the frogs outline and makes it appear larger. [5] These tree frogs are listed as near threatened because they are restricted to an area of less than 20,000 square kilometres and because human development modifies or destroys their restinga habitats. [1] As a juvenile, Xenohyla truncata has white stripes down the sides of its body but they disappear at maturity, leaving the adult frog a uniform brown or orange.

This species of frog is unique in that it is the only known frugivorous frog in the world. This frog will eat various types of plants, including Anthurium harrisii , Erythroxylum ovalifolium , and Maytenus obtusifolia . [3] Inside the stomach contents of Xenohyla truncata were found many different types of arthropods, fruits, seeds, pods, pulp and flowers. [6] The amount of plant material eaten by the frog likely depends on the blooming and fruiting periods of the plants, with various types of arthropods eaten instead when plants are unavailable. The frog will locate the fruit and simply snap at it, swallowing it whole. [3] The frog has been found to defecate viable seeds and likely helps in the spread of the plants it consumes. [3]

The plants Erythroxylum ovalifolium and Maytenus obtusifolia both contain toxic alkaloids and terpenes, [7] [8] and Xenohyla truncata has been found to excrete from its skin the chemical compound N-phenyl-acetamide, which is capable of causing liver and kidney damage in vertebrates. [9] Several of the arthropods consumed by the frog have been found to inhabit bromeliads. These arthropods are cockroach larvae, dragonfly larvae, and crab spiders. This suggests that the bromeliads not only provide cover during the day, but also a food source. [6] Sand has also been found in the digestive tract, meaning that the frog forages on the ground.

Pollination

This is the first amphibian to have been observed pollinating plants, Cordia taguahyensis (Boraginaceae) and Iris x germanica (Iridaceae). [10] [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hylidae</span> Family of frogs

Hylidae is a wide-ranging family of frogs commonly referred to as "tree frogs and their allies". However, the hylids include a diversity of frog species, many of which do not live in trees, but are terrestrial or semiaquatic.

<i>Sphaenorhynchus</i> Genus of amphibians

Sphaenorhynchus is a genus of frogs in the family Hylidae. They are also known as lime treefrogs or hatchet-faced treefrogs. They are found in the Amazon and Orinoco River basins of South America, the Guianas, Trinidad, and southern and eastern Brazil. The majority of the species are associated with the Atlantic Forest domain in Brazil.

Xenohyla is a genus of tree frogs in the family Hylidae that is endemic to xeric habitats of coastal Brazil, with Xenohyla eugenioi native to the State of Bahia and the State of Sergipe, and Xenohyla truncata native to the State of Rio de Janeiro. This genus is characterized by a robust body, wide flat head, short snout, short forelimbs with muscular forearms, and a truncate-shaped body when viewed from above. They are associated with bromeliads, where they hide during the day and eat the insects that also inhabit the plant. They breed in temporary pools that are formed by rainwater. Both species are orange or brown with a white stripe going down their dorsal edges. X. truncata loses this stripe when it matures but X. eugenioi keeps it as an adult.

<i>Nyctimantis</i> Genus of amphibians

Nyctimantis is a genus of frogs in the family Hylidae. The genus is found in south-eastern Brazil as well as in the Orinoco Basin in Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil. These are tree-dwelling species usually hiding in the cisterns of epiphytic bromeliads. The top of the head carries a bony plate which is fused with the skin.

<i>Leptodactylus</i> Genus of amphibians

Leptodactylus is a genus of leptodactylid frogs. It includes the species commonly called ditch frogs or white-lipped frogs. It is very similar to Physalaemus, a close relative, and indeed the 2005 described Leptodactylus lauramiriamae is in some aspects intermediate between them. The name means ‘slender finger’, from leptos and the Greek daktylos.

<i>Aplastodiscus albosignatus</i> Species of amphibian

Aplastodiscus albosignatus, also known as the Bocaina treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<i>Bokermannohyla izecksohni</i> Species of frog

Bokermannohyla izecksohni, also known as Izecksohn's treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to São Paulo state, Brazil. It was already considered possibly extinct in 2004, but three living frogs were discovered in 2005–2006. It is a medium-sized treefrog, measuring about 45 mm (1.8 in) in snout–vent length.

The greater bromeliad tree frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to the mountains of central Veracruz and northern Oaxaca, Mexico. It has been observed between 450 and 1900 meters above sea level.

<i>Dendropsophus decipiens</i> Species of frog

Dendropsophus decipiens is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to eastern Brazil between the Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro states, or following IUCN, between the Maranhão and São Paulo states. It is also known as Brazilian coastal treefrog.

<i>Itapotihyla</i> Genus of amphibians

Itapotihyla is a genus of frogs in the family Hylidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species Itapotihyla langsdorffii, commonly known as the ocellated treefrog. It is found in the Atlantic Forest biome of Brazil, with an isolated population in eastern Paraguay and adjacent Brazil and northeastern Argentina.

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

The Jamaican laughing frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to Jamaica. Other common names include Savanna-la-Mar treefrog.

Phyllodytes gyrinaethes is a species of frogs in the family Hylidae endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It has been observed as high as 710 meters above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahia heart-tongued frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Bahia heart-tongued frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to Brazil's rainforests. It has been observed as high as 800 meters above sea level.

Ololygon agilis, commonly known as the agile snouted treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to Brazil, where it occurs along parts of the eastern coast.

<i>Xenohyla eugenioi</i> Species of amphibian

Xenohyla eugenioi is a species of tree frog in the Hylidae family native to northeastern Brazil in ecotones between the Atlantic Forest and caatingas. It has been found in the Brazilian states of Bahia and Sergipe, approximately 1,000 km away from the other species in its genus, Xenohyla truncata. Like its relative, this frog spends the day hiding in bromeliads, emerging at night to hunt and forage. This frog has been observed between 128 and 960 meters above sea level.

<i>Proceratophrys</i> Genus of amphibians

Proceratophrys is a genus of frogs in the family Odontophrynidae. They are found in eastern and southern Brazil, northeastern Argentina, and Paraguay, possibly into Bolivia adjacent to the Brazilian border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dendropsophini</span> Subfamily of amphibians

Dendropsophini is a tribe of small neotropical tree frogs in the subfamily Hylinae. They are distributed from southern Mexico, throughout Central America, and down South America to northern Argentina and Uruguay. Removed from the synonymy of Hylinae in 2016, this taxon was formerly considered its own subfamily before being reclassified as a tribe. As defined by Favovich et al. in 2005, the tribe Dendrosophini contains the members of three former subfamilies within the Hylidae prior to taxonomic rearrangement: Dendropsophinae, Pseudinae, and Scinaxinae.

Phyllodytes megatympanum is a frog in the family Hylidae endemic to Brazil. It has been observed between 90 and 95 meters above sea level.

<i>Phyllodytes praeceptor</i> Species of amphibian

Phyllodytes praeceptor is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to coastal areas in the state of Bahia in Brazil. It has also been seen in Serra da Jiboia, 694 m above sea level.

References

  1. 1 2 3 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group; Instituto Boitatá de Etnobiologia e Conservação da Fauna (2023). "Xenohyla truncata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 3.1. 2023: e.T56053A172215995. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T56053A172215995.en . Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. (2021). "Xenohyla truncata (Izecksohn, 1959)". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001 . Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 da Silva, Helio R.; de Britto-Pereira, Mônica C. & Caramaschi, Ulisses (1989). "Frugivory and Seed Dispersal by Hyla truncata, a Neotropical Treefrog". Copeia. 1989 (3): 781–783. doi:10.2307/1445517. JSTOR   1445517.
  4. ↑ Bittencourt-Silva, Gabriela Bueno & Silva, Hélio Ricardo da (April 2013). "Insular Anurans (Amphibia: Anura) of the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Southeast, Brazil". Check List. 9 (2): 225–234. doi: 10.15560/9.2.225 – via ResearchGate.
  5. ↑ Napoli, Marcelo (January 2001). "Xenohyla truncata (NCN). Antipredator behavior". Herpetological Review. 32: 36–37 – via ResearchGate.
  6. 1 2 da Silva, H. R. & de Britto-Pereira, M. C. (2006). "How much fruit do fruit-eating frogs eat? An investigation on the diet of Xenohyla truncata (Lissamphibia: Anura: Hylidae)". Journal of Zoology. 270 (4): 692–698. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00192.x.
  7. ↑ Zuanazzi, José Angelo S.; Tremea, Valéria; Limberger, Renata P.; Sobral, Marcos & Henriques, Amélia T. (2001). "Alkaloids of Erythroxylum (Erythroxylaceae) species from Southern Brazil". Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 29 (8): 819–825. doi:10.1016/S0305-1978(01)00022-9. PMID   11412954.
  8. ↑ Alves, Josinete S.; Castro, Janiza C. M. de; Freire, Maisa O.; da-Cunha, Emidio V. Leitão; Barbosa-Filho, José Maria & Silva, Marcelo Sobral de (2000). "Complete assignment of the 1H and 13C NMR spectra of four triterpenes of the ursane, artane, lupane and friedelane groups". Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry. 38 (3): 201–206. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-458X(200003)38:3<201::AID-MRC622>3.0.CO;2-0. S2CID   95006488.
  9. ↑ De Carvalho, Mário Geraldo; Freire, Ronald Bastos; Vianna, Felipe Baggio & Cornelius, Marli Terezinha Frana (January 2008). "Acetanilide as the only constituent in skin secretion of Xenohyla truncata Izecksohn, 1959 (1998) and its biological significance". Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 36 (1): 71–73. doi:10.1016/j.bse.2007.05.016 – via KUNDOC.
  10. ↑ Roth, Annie. "This Brazilian frog might be the first pollinating amphibian known to science". www.science.org. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  11. ↑ de-Oliveira-Nogueira, Carlos Henrique; Souza, Ubiratã Ferreira; Machado, Thaynara Mendes; Figueiredo-de-Andrade, Caio Antônio; Mônico, Alexander Tamanini; Sazima, Ivan; Sazima, Marlies; Toledo, Luís Felipe (2023-06-01). "Between fruits, flowers and nectar: The extraordinary diet of the frog Xenohyla truncata". Food Webs. 35: e00281. doi:10.1016/j.fooweb.2023.e00281. ISSN   2352-2496. S2CID   257817555.
  12. ↑ Annie Roth (May 1, 2023). "This Brazilian frog might be the first pollinating amphibian known to science". Science. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
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