''Craugastor taurus'' is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

in the family

Craugastoridae Craugastoridae, commonly known as fleshbelly frogs, is a family of New World direct-developing frogs. As delineated here, following the Amphibian Species of the World, it contains 129 species. They are found from the southern United States south ...

. It is found in the Golfo Dulce region of southern

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

and adjacent western

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. It is sometimes known as the Golfito robber frog.

Etymology

The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''taurus'' is derived from the Latin word for "bull".

Description

''Craugastor taurus'' is a large, somewhat toad-like frog. Female ''Craugastor taurus'' can grow as large as in snout–vent length, whereas males are smaller, up to SVL. Dorsum is bumpy and grey or brown in colour, with darker blotches. Arms and legs have dark bars. Feet have extensive webbing. Males have

vocal sac The vocal sac is the flexible Biological membrane, membrane of skin possessed by most male frogs and toads. The purpose of the vocal sac is usually as an amplification of their mating or advertisement call. The presence or development of the voca ...

and proportionally larger tympanum.

Habitat and conservation

Natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s of ''Craugastor taurus'' are rocky areas of streams in humid lowland forests at elevations between

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. It can be found on rocks or in the debris, roots, and vegetation along the stream banks. It is a

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

species. This species was formerly abundant. However, between 2000 and 2008, only one frog has been observed, despite intensive field work. The reasons of the decline are unknown, but

chytridiomycosis Chytridiomycosis ( ) is an infectious disease in amphibians, caused by the chytrid fungi '' Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis'' and '' Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans''. Chytridiomycosis has been linked to dramatic population declines or extinc ...

(or similar disease) is a potential culprit. Outside protected areas,

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

remains a threat. Fortunately, in 2014 two populations were reported from Punta Banco (

Golfito canton Golfito is a canton in the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica. The head city is in Golfito district. History Golfito was created on 10 June 1949 by decree 532. Geography Golfito has an area of km² and a mean elevation of metres. The cant ...

). The species remains absent from the known historic sites. A possible explanation of its persistence in Punta Banco is the drier climate in the area, which is less conducive for outbreaks of chytridiomycosis, compared to the historic range further north.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2209427

taurus Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to: * Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign ** Vṛṣabha, in vedic astrology * Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological ch ...

Amphibians of Costa Rica Amphibians of Panama Amphibians described in 1958 Taxa named by Edward Harrison Taylor Critically endangered fauna of North America Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Isthmian–Pacific moist forests