Rhombophryne longicrus
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Rhombophryne longicrus , holotype and paratype |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Rhombophryne longicrus | ||||||||||||
| Scherz , Rakotoarison , Hawlitschek , Vences & Glaw , 2015 |
Rhombophryne longicrus is a frog from the family of the narrow-mouth frogs (Microhylidae)livingon the island of Madagascar . The species wasdiscovered on the island of Madagascarduring an expedition led by the Munich State Zoological Collection and described in 2015 by researchers Scherz , Rakotoarison , Hawlitschek , Vences and Glaw . The type epithet was formed from the Latin terms longus (long) and crus (leg).
features
Almost all species of the genus Rhombophryne have short legs. In contrast, Rhombophryne longicrus has long, slender front and rear legs. The head-torso length is 23.8 to 27.9 millimeters. The head is wider than it is long. The total length of the hind legs is 183 to 185% of the head-trunk length. The second toe is much longer than the rest. There are no webbed fingers between the fingers and toes . The color of the holotype is bronze on the front part of the head, dark brown with light spots on the back, and lighter brown on the sides. The paratype is generally light brown to yellow-brown in color. The skin on the abdomen is pink, slightly translucent and has small black dots.
Similar species
Rhombophryne minuta also has long front and rear legs, but is much smaller in overall appearance. Since this species was only found in the Marojejy massif , there is no geographical overlap of the distribution areas with Rhombophryne longicrus .
distribution and habitat
The species is endemic to Madagascar . So far, it has only been detected there in higher, wooded areas of the Sorata massif in the north of the island .
Way of life
While almost all species of the genus Rhombophryne are relatively immobile due to their short legs and live in depressions in the earth, Rhombophryne longicrus is also able to move by jumping. An examination of the stomach contents found remains of beetles , spiders and mosses . The voice is unknown. Further details about special behavior as well as the reproduction of the species have not yet been researched.
Danger
Due to the very small distribution area of approx. 250 km², Scherz et al. for the species the status " endangered = highly endangered" according to the classification of the World Conservation Organization IUCN . Since the forests of the Sorata massif are not in a protected area, all endemic species occurring there are seriously threatened by uncontrolled deforestation . The greatest danger exists at lower forest edges. Altitudes and the habitat of Rhombophryne longicrus are currently even less threatened by deforestation.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Mark D. Scherz, Andolalao Rakotoarison, Oliver Hawlitschek, Miguel Vences, Frank Glaw: Leaping towards a saltatorial lifestyle? An unusually long-legged new species of Rhombophryne (Anura Microhylidae) from the Sorata massif in northern Madagascar , Zoosystematics and Evolution 91 (2), pp. 105–114, 2015
