''Leucostethus argyrogaster'' or the Imaza rocket frog 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

Dendrobatidae Poison dart frog (also known as dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly known as poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the Family (biology), family Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central America, Central an ...

. 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 Peru.

Description

The adult male frog measures about 19.8 mm in snout-vent length and the adult female frog about 22.1 mm. The frog has large disks on the toes of all four feet. The skin of the dorsum is light brown in color. The skin of the flanks is dark brown in color. There are silver stripes and white stripes down both sides of the body. The upper surfaces of the hind legs are cream-white in color. There is orange coloration on the inner parts of the hind legs. There is a white mark near the vent. The throat and chest are cream-white in color. The belly is silver in color. The iris of the eye is bronze in color. The male frog's testes are white in color.

Habitat

This diurnal, terrestrial frog lives in lowlands and submontane habitats. Scientists have observed it near streams in both

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

and

secondary forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has regenerated through largely natural processes after human-caused Disturbance (ecology), disturbances, such as Logging, timber harvest or agriculture clearing, or ...

between 400 and 1700 meters above sea level. This frog's range includes some protected areas, for example Santiago-Comaina Reserved Zone and the Alto Mayo protected area.

Reproduction

The female frog lays eggs on the leaf litter. After the eggs hatch, the female frog carries the tadpoles to streams.

Threats

The IUCN classifies this frog as least concern of extinction. What threat it faces comes from conversion of the forests where it lives to farmland.

References

Leucostethus Amphibians of Peru Amphibians described in 1993 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Dendrobatidae-stub