Tukeit Hill Frog
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| Allophryne ruthveni Gaige, 1926 |
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 Distribution of A. ruthveni (in black)
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The Tukeit Hill Frog (Allophryne ruthveni) is the only described species in the genus Allophryne and the family Allophrynidae of the order Anura. These frogs live in Guyana, Venezuela, Surinam, Brazil and Bolivia. The holotype was discovered at Tukeit Hill, below Kaieteur Falls, Guyana, hence the common English name.
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[edit] Physical description
The Tukeit Hill Frog is a small frog. It is of variable colouration, either black, with stripes and spots which can be golden or dull yellow, or a dull yellow or golden ventral surface, with black strips and spots. It has a flat body, and small flat head. It has a single, sub-mandibular vocal sac. The toe pads are enlarged, wider than the fingers, and the tympanum is visible. The Tukeit Hill Frog is superficially similar to the tree frogs, however the end of their phalanges differ in shape (see below Taxonomic classification).
[edit] Taxonomic classification
Allophryne, the Tukeit Hill Frog, is part of a hitherto (see below) monotypic family of anurans: Allophrynidae. The evolutionary relationships of this species have always been controversial. It has been joint to families like Hylidae, Bufonidae, and Leptodactylidae, but until recently its closer relatives where unknown.
Allophryne is similar in its general shape to tree frogs of the family Hylidae, but Allophryne differs by having the last phalanges of fingers and toes T-shaped, while the Hylidae have them claws-shaped. Even though Allophryne has several morphological similarities with the tree frogs, recent phylogenetic studies have found that the family Allophrynidae is the sister taxon of the glassfrog family Centrolenidae (Austin et al. 2002, Frost et al. 2006).
The Centrolenidae differ from Allophryne by having much delicate skulls, having intercalary elements between the last phalanges of fingers, a process on the third metacarpal, and non-explosive breeding, among other characteristics. Both the Centrolenidae and the Allophrynidae are closely related to the Leptodactylidae.
Recently, an as of yet undescribed species of frog which probably belongs into Allophryne was discovered in Peru [1]. This suggests that the genus is actually more widespread and that more species await discovery. As A. ruthveni was assumed to be a northwest Amazonian endemic, the Peruvian frog indicates that the Allophrynidae might have been more widespread in prehistoric times, only later on disappearing from most of the Amazonas basin, and are actually a relic group. Alternatively, they might occur in the western Amazonas lowlands and simply have not been found yet, though this seems less likely.
[edit] Ecology and behaviour
The Tukeit Hill Frog is semi-arboreal, spending some times low in the trees, 1-3 metres, and some of the time on the ground. They are explosive breeders, taking advantage of small water ponds formed on the forest floor after periods of rain. This frog habits sparse forest, and may be restricted to forested areas, avoiding cleared land.
[edit] References
- Austin, J. D.; Lougheed, S. C.; Tanner, K; Chek, A. A.; Bogart, J. P. & Boag, P. T. (2002): A molecular perspective on the evolutionary affinities of an enigmatic neotropical frog, Allophryne ruthveni. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 134(3): 335–346. PDF fulltext
- Cannatella, David (1996): The Tree of Life Web Project: Allophryne ruthveni. Version of 01 January 1996; retrieved 2007-JAN-06.
- Cogger, H. G.; Zweifel, R. G. & Kirschner, D. (2004): Encyclopedia of Reptiles & Amphibians (2nd edition). Fog City Press. ISBN 1-877019-69-0
- Frost, Darrel R.; Grant, Taran; Faivovich, Julián; Bain, Raoul H.; Haas, Alexander; Haddad, Celio F. B.; De Sa, Rafael O.; Channing, A.; Wilkinson, Mark; Donnellan, Stephen C.; Raxworthy, Christopher J.; Campbell, Jonathan A.; Blotto, Boris L.; Moler, Paul; Drewes, Robert C.; Nussbaum, Ronald A.; Lynch, John D.; Green, David M. & Wheeler, Ward C. (2006): The Amphibian Tree of Life]. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 297: 1-370. PDF fulltext
- InfoNatura (2005): Allophryne ruthveni Version 4.1, 28 June 2005. Retrieved 2007-JAN-06.
- La Marca, E. & Azevedo-Ramos, C. (2004). Allophryne ruthveni. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
