''Telmatobius brachydactylus'', the Junín riparian frog or Amable Maria frog, is an

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

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 Telmatobiidae.

Body

Although a fairly large species with a typical snout-vent length of and weight of , it is significantly smaller than the closely related and equally threatened

Lake Junin frog ''Telmatobius macrostomus'', also known as the Lake Junin (giant) frog or Andes smooth frog, is a very large and endangered species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae.Angulo, A. (2008). "Conservation needs of Batrachophrynus and Telmatobius fro ...

(''T. macrostomus''). These two are sometimes placed in the genus '' Batrachophrynus''.

Habitat

This highly

aquatic Aquatic means relating to water; living in or near water or taking place in water; does not include groundwater, as "aquatic" implies an environment where plants and animals live. Aquatic(s) may also refer to: * Aquatic animal, either vertebrate ...

frog is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to tributaries of Lake Junín (not in the lake itself) in central

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and to other nearby waterways, where it is found at altitudes of . This frog reproduces through larval development. Scientists have seen the frog in Junin National Reserve.

Threats

Both the IUCN and organizations within Peru classify this frog as endangered. Principal threats include habitat loss in favor of human resource collection and agriculture, pollution, climate change, and predation by

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

, such as trout. People allow livestock to drink and graze in and around the streams where the frog lives, which disrupts vegetation. Frogs that live in canals are threatened by the cleaning processes, which include plant removal, that keep the canals navigable. Scientists note that this frog is captured for human consumption and consider overexploitation a possible threat, but this has yet to be confirmed. Scientists also consider the fungal disease

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 ...

a possible threat, but they have yet to detect the fungus ''Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis'' on this species.Angulo, A. (2008). "Conservation needs of Batrachophrynus and Telmatobius frogs of the Andes of Peru." Conservation & Society 6(4): 328-333. DOI: 10.4103/0972-4923.49196 This species has been monitored by the High-Andean Frog Conservation through Capacity-Building Program, funded through the

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

Small Project Assistant Grant program.

References

brachydactylus Amphibians of the Andes Amphibians of Peru Endemic fauna of Peru Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians described in 1873 Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters {{Leptodactylidae-stub