The Sierra Juarez brook frog (''Duellmanohyla ignicolor'') is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...

in the family

Hylidae 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. Taxonomy and ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and 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 ...

s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s, subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucia ...

s, and

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

s. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and possibly by

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 exti ...

, and the IUCN has assessed its conservation status as near threatened.

Description

The Sierra Juarez brook frog is a small species with a

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the mos ...

of . The male has a rounded snout when seen from above and a squarish snout when seen from the side. The nostrils are protuberant, the eyes have golden irises and the tympani are oval. The limbs are fairly robust and the toes are partially webbed. The colouring is rather variable, with the dorsal surface mostly green and the ventral surface yellowish. The front and back of the thighs as well as parts of the shin and hind toes are some shade of red or orange-red. This frog was first described by the American herpetologist William E. Duellman in 1961 and at that time he had not been able to find and describe a female.

Ecology

This frog lives in cloud forests and requires moist conditions. Breeding occurs mainly in the summer but may take place throughout the year. The male calls from low vegetation near pools and streams. The call consists of from three to thirteen low notes, each lasting for 0.08 seconds and changing frequency in the middle, and sounding like "raa-raa-raa". The

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found ...

s develop in streams and cling onto rocks and stones with their mouthparts to avoid being swept away.

Status

The Sierra Juarez brook frog has a limited range in the Sierra Juárez Mountains in the state of

Oaxaca ) , population_note = , population_rank = 10th , timezone1 = CST , utc_offset1 = −6 , timezone1_DST = CDT , utc_offset1_DST = −5 , postal_code_type = Postal ...

in southeastern Mexico, where it is present at altitudes between . The chief threats it faces are from degradation of its cloud forest habitat by human actions. Some of the tadpoles were found to have

keratin Keratin () is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as ''scleroproteins''. Alpha-keratin (α-keratin) is a type of keratin found in vertebrates. It is the key structural material making up scales, hair, nails, feathers, ...

ised mouthparts, which is likely to indicate infection with the

fungus, and this may also be a threat for this uncommon species. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natur ...

has assessed its conservation status as near threatened.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q910814 Duellmanohyla Endemic amphibians of Mexico Fauna of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca Amphibians described in 1961 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot