''Pristimantis frater'' 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

Strabomantidae The Strabomantidae, sometimes called cloud forest landfrogs, are a family of frogs native to South America. These frogs lack a free-living larval stage and hatch directly into miniature "froglets". This family includes '' Pristimantis'', the mo ...

. 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 ...

to Colombia and occurs on the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Oriental in the

Norte de Santander Norte de Santander (Spanish for Northern Santander) () is a department of northeastern Colombia. It is in the north of the country, bordering Venezuela. Its capital is Cúcuta, one of the country's major cities. Norte de Santander is bordere ...

, Boyacá, Casanare, Cundinamarca, and

Meta Department Meta () is a department of Colombia. It is close to the geographic center of the country, to the east of the Andean mountains. A large portion of the department, which is also crossed by the Meta River, is covered by a grassland plain known ...

s, as well as in the Serranía de la Macarena (Meta Department). The population in the Serranía de la Macarena might represent a distinct species. Common name Meta robber frog has been coined for it.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females, based on a single specimen, in

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 ...

. The head is as wide as the body and wider than it is long. The snout is subacuminate in dorsal view and round in lateral profile. The tympanum is prominent. The fingers have narrow lateral keels and the outer ones have also large pads. The toes have lateral keels and enlarged pads. The dorsum is pale brown with brown markings. Canthal stripe is usually absent. The venter has fine brown peppering; the throat is darker. Males have a sub gular

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 ...

Habitat and conservation

''Pristimantis frater'' occur in premontane humid forests at elevations of or

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 ...

, depending on the source. They can be found on low vegetation and have also been recorded from secondary forest. Reproduction is direct (i.e., without free-living larval stage). This species is common, but it suffers from

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 ...

and degradation caused primarily by agriculture (crops and cattle ranching), but also by oil exploration and road infrastructure. It has been found in areas where '' Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis'' is prevalent, but so far this species has tested negative. It is present in the Serranía de la Macarena and Tamá National Natural Parks. It might also be present in the immediately adjacent

El Tamá National Park The El Tamá National Park () It is a protected area with the status of a national park that is located between the Andes and plains of Venezuela. It protects part of the Tamá Massif. It has an area of and is located in the states of Táchira (1 ...

in Venezuela, but there are no records yet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pristimantis Frater frater Amphibians of the Andes Amphibians of Colombia Endemic fauna of Colombia Taxa named by Franz Werner Amphibians described in 1899 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot