''Eleutherodactylus varians'' 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

Eleutherodactylidae The Eleutherodactylidae are a family of direct-developing frogs native to northern South America, the Caribbean, and southernmost North America. They are sometimes known under the common name rain frogs. Formerly the subfamily Eleutherodactylina ...

. 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 ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and occurs in the central and eastern parts of the main island as well as on the Isla de Juventud. Common names cliff robber frog and Cuban bromeliad frog have been proposed for it. '' Eleutherodactylus olibrus'' and '' Eleutherodactylus staurometopon'' are sometimes included in this species 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 ...

Description

''Eleutherodactylus varians'' can grow to 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 wider than it is long. The body is slightly depressed. The finger and toe tips bear discs. These frogs are able to change their coloration, and the dorsum ranges from silvery gray to yellowish brown to dark brown, with conspicuous spots. Males have a

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 ...

that is typically yellow but may also be white.

Habitat and conservation

''Eleutherodactylus varians'' occurs in mesic forests at elevations below . It is an

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally (scansorial), but others are exclusively arboreal. The hab ...

species sometimes found in

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a Family (biology), family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the Tropics, tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and on ...

s. Males

call Call or Calls may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Call (poker), a bet matching an opponent's * Call, in the game of contract bridge, a bid, pass, double, or redouble in the bidding stage Music and dance * Call (band), from L ...

from tree branches and leaves. The eggs are deposited in bromeliads. Development is direct (i.e., there is no free-living larval stage). This species is moderately common in suitable habitat. It is threatened by

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 ...

caused by agricultural activities. Its range overlaps with several protected areas (though these are in need of better conservation management).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3007535 varians Amphibians of Cuba Endemic fauna of Cuba Amphibians described in 1864 Taxa named by Juan Gundlach Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters