''Phrynopus bracki'' 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 Peru and only known from its type locality in the Cordillera Yanachaga,

Pasco Region Pasco () is a department and region in central Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in ...

. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''bracki'' honors Antonio Brack, agronomist and ecologist who was instrumental for the establishment of the

Yanachaga–Chemillén National Park Yanachaga–Chemillén National Park () is a protected area located in the region of Pasco Region, Pasco, Peru. It preserves part of the rainforests and cloud forests of central Peru. It is a refuge for wildlife from the Pleistocene, a time when t ...

. Common name Brack's Andes frog, has been coined for it.

Description

Based on the

type series In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes t ...

consisting of two adult males and a single female, adult males measure about and adult females 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 short and narrower than the body. The snout is rounded to slightly truncate. The canthus rostralis is moderately sharp. There is no tympanum, and also the supra-tympanic fold is absent. The fingers and toes are not expanded; the fingers have slight lateral fringes. No webbing is present. Skin of the dorsum is tuberculate, more so in the males than in the female. The coloration is nearly uniformly black or very dark brown, apart from some faint traces of lighter brown pattern. The male advertisement call is a two-note call, with the dominant frequency at 2500 Hz.

Habitat and conservation

''Phrynopus bracki'' is found in montane

cloud In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles, suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may ...

and

elfin forest A "natural National Park in the Philippines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site file:Mount Kemiri (8187817161).jpg, An elfin forest in Sumatra's Gunung Leuser National Park Dwarf forest, elfin forest, or pygmy forest is an uncommon ecosystem feat ...

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 ...

. It is a terrestrial species. The males were found inside curled dead leaves on the forest floor, revealed by their calls, whereas the female was found in leaf litter. This species 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 ...

, but most of its range is protected by the

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2210298 bracki Amphibians of the Andes Amphibians of Peru Endemic fauna of Peru Amphibians described in 1990 Taxa named by Stephen Blair Hedges Taxonomy articles created by Polbot