''Eleutherodactylus ruthae'' (common name: Ruth's robber frog) is a species of frog in the family Eleutherodactylidae. It is endemic to

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

and known from scattered locations in both

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

and the Dominican Republic. It was described by Gladwyn Kingsley Noble, who named it in honour of his wife,

Ruth Crosby Noble Ruth Crosby Noble (1896/1897March 1988) was an American author and herpetologist. Working for the American Museum of Natural History, she and her husband Gladwyn Kingsley Noble discovered a new species of frog, the ''Eleutherodactylus ruthae'', ...

; she also first discovered the species. It might represent more than one species. '' Eleutherodactylus aporostegus'', '' Eleutherodactylus bothroboans'', '' Eleutherodactylus tychaethrous'' were first described as

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of ''Eleutherodactylus ruthae'', but have later been elevated to full species status.

Description

The holotype, an adult male, measured in snout–vent length. The snout is distinctly shovel-shaped. Dorsum is spotted. Skin is glandular and finely warty above, with best developed warts on sides of body.

Habitat and conservation

The natural habitats of ''Eleutherodactylus ruthae'' are xeric pine forest and mesic forest. Its altitudinal range is from sea level

asl American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is express ...

. Males call from closed underground chambers where the eggs are also laid. This rarely encountered frog is believed to be declining. It is threatened by habitat loss caused by logging and agriculture. However, it has declined even in suitable habitats, and factors such as invasive predators, climate change, and chytridiomycosis might also play a role.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eleutherodactylus Ruthae ruthae Endemic fauna of Hispaniola Frogs of Haiti Amphibians of the Dominican Republic Endangered fauna of North America Taxa named by Gladwyn Kingsley Noble Amphibians described in 1923 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot