''Craugastor augusti'' 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 ...
found in
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
and the southern
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. It is known by various common names but most commonly as the barking frog (also common robber frog, cliff frog). The nominal species likely includes more than one species, sometimes described as
subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
such as the common barking frog (''Craugastor augusti augusti''), western barking frog (''Craugastor augusti cactorum''), and eastern barking frog (''Craugastor augusti latrans'').
The epithet ''augusti'' is in honor of renowned French
zoologist
Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...
Auguste Duméril
Auguste Henri André Duméril (30 November 1812 – 12 November 1870) was a French zoologist. His father, André Marie Constant Duméril (1774–1860), was also a zoologist. In 1869 he was elected as a member of the Académie des sciences.
Dum ...
.
It is called the ''barking frog'' because its call sounds like the barking of a small
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...
, although vocalizations vary by area.
It is an abundant species in Mexico but apparently rare in the United States.
However, they are very difficult to detect unless they are calling, which only occurs during few nights after rains.
[
]
Description
Adult ''Craugastor augusti'' measure . They have a characteristic fold of skin across the back of the head as well as well-developed tubercles on their feet. Colouration is sexually dimorphic.[
]
Habitat and life cycle
The 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 augusti'' are shrublands and deserts. It is a terrestrial frog that hides under rocks, in caves, or crevices. Eggs are laid in similar microhabitats and develop directly to small froglets, without the free-living tadpole
A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the Larva, larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully Aquatic animal, aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial animal, ...
stage.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3002246
augusti
Amphibians of Mexico
Amphibians of the United States
Taxa named by Alfredo Dugès
Amphibians described in 1879
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot