''Atelognathus praebasalticus'' 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

Batrachylidae Batrachylidae is a Family (biology), family of frogs from southern South America (Argentina and Chile). Before being recognized as a family, Batrachylidae was included as a subfamily (Batrachylinae) in the family Ceratophryidae; this is the taxon ...

. It 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 ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Habitat

This frog lives under rocks near streams and in humid ravines near

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

s, in

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...

s, and

semi-desert A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

. This frog needs bodies of water with rocky bottoms and considerable underwater vegetation. Scientists observed this frog between 1000 and 1500 meters above sea level.

Reproduction

Scientists believe that this frog breeds by larval development and that the tadpoles swim in lagoons.

Conservation and threats

The IUCN classifies this species as endangered. Invasive fish prey upon this frog and its tadpoles. People also allow sheep and other livestock to graze on the water plants that make the frog's habitat viable.

References

Atelognathus Amphibians of Argentina Amphibians of Patagonia Endemic fauna of Argentina Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians described in 1968 Taxa named by José Miguel Alfredo María Cei {{hyloidea-stub