Physalaemus spiniger

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Physalaemus spiniger
Physalaemus spiniger

Physalaemus spiniger

Systematics
Order : Frog (anura)
Subordination : Neobatrachia
Family : Whistling Frogs (Leptodactylidae)
Subfamily : Leiuperinae
Genre : Lid bubble frogs ( Physalaemus )
Type : Physalaemus spiniger
Scientific name
Physalaemus spiniger
( Miranda-Ribeiro , 1926)
The arrow-shaped drawing on Physalaemus spiniger's back extends to the shoulders
Foam nest of Physalaemus spiniger between the leaves near a temporary body of water
Distribution area of Physalaemus spiniger on the coast of Brazil

Physalaemus spiniger is a frog species of the genus Lidblasenfrösche within the family of leptodactylidae (Leptodactylidae). The species is endemic to southeastern Brazil .

features

Physalaemus spiniger has a smooth skin on the back and a striking orange-red belly. The back is yellow-brown to brown, with an almost symmetrical drawing. A dark arrow points in the direction of the head, its shaft branches backwards into three parts. A wide band runs between the eyes. The head is wider than it is long, the muzzle is rounded. The canthus rostralis is clearly highlighted. The tympanum is only faintly visible above the auditory organ . Dark brown lateral stripes run from the snout over the eyes and the tympanum to the groin. The snout is brown to cream-colored. The throat and chest are spotted dark brown and white. The cloaca region is colored black.

The limbs are yellowish brown with dark transverse ligaments, orange on the underside. The males have brown rutting calluses only on the thumbs. The thumbs are the same size or slightly larger than the fourth fingers. The third finger is by far the longest on either hand. On the feet, the fourth toe is the longest, followed by the third toe.

Similar species

Physalaemus spiniger belongs to the Physalaemus signifer species group within the genus of the eyelid nasal frogs. From Physalaemus signifer , the type of the species group, Physalaemus spiniger mainly differs in the smooth back skin, which appears wartier in the former. In addition, the black spots on the inguinal glands in Ph. Signifer are significantly smaller than in Ph. Spiniger .

Outwardly, Physalaemus spiniger cannot be distinguished from Physalaemus nanus , but based on their mating calls, the two species can be distinguished.

Proportions

With a head-trunk length of 17 to 21 millimeters in the males, the species is smaller than the related species Physalaemus caete , Physalaemus moreirae , Physalaemus obtectus and Physalaemus olfersii , the males of which reach a length of 22.5 to 34.5 millimeters. The males of Physalaemus spiniger are larger than those of Physalaemus bokermanni with a length of only 15.3 to 17 millimeters.

distribution

The Parque Estadual das Restingas de Bertioga is home to a unique plant community on the southeastern Atlantic coast of Brazil. The Restinga is the habitat of Physalaemus spiniger .

The distribution area of Physalaemus spiniger is on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Brazil and extends from the eastern part of the state of São Paulo to the northeast of the state of Paraná . The total habitat of the species is likely no larger than 20,000 square kilometers, but the frogs are quite abundant in this area and are adaptable to changes arising from human colonization. Nevertheless, their habitat is shrinking due to land consolidation , the construction of leisure facilities for the tourism industry and new settlements. The size of the populations is decreasing.

Habitat and way of life

The species lives in the lowlands near the tropical and subtropical Atlantic coasts of Brazil, where the rainfall leaves temporary marshland and marshland. The coastal forests, called Mata Atlantica , and the shrub landscape of the Restinga that have emerged along the beaches offer protection to the frogs.

The mating season is between October and February, during the rains. The males call the females from the banks of small ponds or other temporary bodies of water. The whistling frog is assigned five different calls with which it attracts females or indicates its presence to other males. The eggs are laid in foam nests that are placed in the water or attached to the bank's edges. Moist leaves on the edge of the ponds or the leaf axils of bromeliads are also sufficient to enable the tadpoles to hatch . The water in the bromeliads is not sufficient to ensure further development, but when the temporary bodies of water fill up, the hatched larvae get into the nearby ponds with the downpours. There they develop into the finished frog.

Systematics and taxonomy

Alipio de Miranda Ribeiro found a preserved specimen of Physalaemus spiniger in the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo . This type specimen , inscribed with Engystomops spinigera , was attributed to George Albert Boulenger . However, since there was in fact no description of this frog by the famous herpetologist Boulenger, the short treatise Miranda-Ribeiro from 1926 was finally recognized as the first description . It was not until much later that the species was placed in the Physalaemus signifer species group founded by Lynch in 1970 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Physalaemus spiniger in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: Magno Vicente Segalla & Paulo Garcia, 2004. Accessed April 15, 2016. doi : 10.2305 / IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T57279A11597838.en
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Célio FB Haddad & José P. Pombal, Jr .: Redescription of Physalaemus spiniger (Anura: Leptodactylidae) and. Description of Two New Reproductive Modes. Journal of Herpetology, 32, 4, pp. 557-565, December 1998 doi : 10.2307 / 1565210
  3. ↑ Cybele de Oliveira Araujo, Thais Helena Condez, Rafael Parelli Bovo, Fernanda da Cruz Centeno & Amom Mendes Luiz: Amphibians and reptiles of the Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira (PETAR), SP: an Atlantic Forest remnant of Southeastern Brazil . Biota Neotropica, 10, 4, 2010 doi : 10.1590 / S1676-06032010000400031
  4. ^ Thais RN Costa & Luís Felipe Toledo: Physalaemus spiniger (Anura: Leiuperinae): A Frog with an Extensive Vocal Repertoire. Journal of Herpetology, 47, 4, pp. 530-538, 2013 doi : 10.1670 / 12-083
  5. ↑ JD Lynch: Systematic status of the American leptodactylid frog genera Engystomops, Eupemphix, and Physalaemus. Copeia, 1970, 3, pp. 488-496, 1970

literature

  • Alipio de Miranda Ribeiro: Notas para servirem ao estudo dos Gymnobatrachios (Anura) brasileiros. Archivos, Museu Nacional, Volume 27, Rio de Janeiro 1926 (first description)

Web links

Commons : Physalaemus spiniger  - collection of images, videos and audio files