''Pseudis fusca'' 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

Hylidae Hylidae is a wide-ranging family of frogs commonly referred to as " tree frogs and their allies". However, the hylids include a diversity of frog species, many of which do not live in trees, but are terrestrial or semiaquatic. Taxonomy and ...

. 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 ...

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, and only known few localities. Although it is currently considered a valid species, it has also been treated as a

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 ...

of ''

Pseudis paradoxa ''Pseudis paradoxa'', known as the paradoxical frog or shrinking frog, is a species of hylid frog from South America. Its name refers to the very large—up to long—tadpole (the world's longest), which in turn "shrinks" during metamorphosi ...

''.

Description

Adult males measure 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 overall appearance is robust. The head is wider than it is long and the snout is rounded. The tympanum is distinct, elliptical in shape. The eyes are big. The toes are fully webbed. Skin is smooth. Preserved specimens are dorsally brown or grey, with darker markings that do not form any regular pattern.

Habitat and conservation

This aquatic frog occurs in permanent ponds and still-water pools of slow moving streams near larger rivers at an elevation of about

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 can also occur in large water reservoirs. Breeding takes place in pools and streams. It is a locally common species that can suffer from

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 encroachment, infrastructure development, and agricultural pollution. Its presence in protected areas is unknown.

References

{{Portal bar, Frogs, Brazil fusca Endemic frogs of Brazil Taxa named by Samuel Garman Amphibians described in 1883 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot