''Niceforonia dolops'' 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 found in the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

of southern Colombia and northern Ecuador. Specifically, it is known from the Cordillera Oriental and

Colombian Massif The Colombian Massif (from the Spanish Macizo Colombiano), also known colloquially as ''Nudo de Almaguer'', refers to a group of mountains within the Andes of south central Colombia. The massif is mainly within the area of the Cauca, Huila, a ...

in Caquetá and

Putumayo Department Putumayo () is a departments of Colombia, department of Southern Colombia. It is in the south-west of the country, bordering Ecuador and Peru. Its capital is Mocoa. The word ''putumayo'' comes from the Quechua languages. The verb ''p'utuy'' ...

s, Colombia, and

Napo Province Napo () is a province in Ecuador. Its capital is Tena. The province contains the Napo River. The province is low developed without much industrial presence. The thick rainforest is home to many natives that remain isolated by preference, descend ...

, Ecuador. Common name Putumayo robber frog has been coined for it.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females in snout–vent length. The head is as broad as the body and wider than it is long. The snout is short and subacuminate in dorsal view and rounded in lateral profile. The tympanum is prominent and rounded in males but vertically elongated in females. Skin of the dorsum is pustulate and has short ridges along upper flanks; the flanks are areolate. The fingers have no lateral fringes but are feebly keeled laterally. The fingers bear weakly dilated pads with discs. The toes have no lateral fringes but are weakly keeled and bear pads with discs. No webbing is present. The dorsal coloration is dull tan to brown with darker brown to black markings. The posterior surfaces of thighs are orange brown, reddish brown, or dark brown and have cream or pale yellow flecks. The ventrum is creamy yellow to pinkish tan and has brown mottling, or dark brown to black with bluish white flecks. The

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (given name), a feminine given name, and a list of peopl ...

is dull brown with grayish or reddish tint.

Habitat and conservation

''Niceforonia dolops'' lives in stream habitats in cloud forest at elevations of

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 ...

. Individuals have been found on ground or perched on small shrubs at night, and under rocks or in rock crevices during the day. The site of egg deposition is unknown. ''Niceforonia dolops'' is an uncommon species. 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 agriculture and logging. It occurs in the Alto Fragua Indi-Wasi National Natural Park (Colombia) and

Cayambe Coca Ecological Reserve Cayambe Coca National Park is a national park in Ecuador located along the Equator about from Quito. The park encompasses an area of . The reserve The park includes two very different regions of Ecuador, the high altitude sierra with Cayambe (v ...

(Ecuador).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1593000

dolops In Greek mythology, the name Dolops (Ancient Greek: Δόλοψ) may refer to: *Dolops, a son of Cronus and the Oceanid Philyra, brother of Chiron. *Dolops, son of Hermes, who died in the city of Magnessa. His tomb was located at the seashore; the ...

Amphibians of the Andes Amphibians of Colombia Amphibians of Ecuador Taxa named by William Edward Duellman Taxa named by John Douglas Lynch Amphibians described in 1980 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot