''Brachycephalus nodoterga'', also known as the Serra Cantareira saddleback toad, 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

Brachycephalidae The Brachycephalidae () are a family of frogs confined to eastern and southern Brazil and northern Argentina. The family is composed of two externally quite different genera: the tiny, often (but not always) colourful and plump saddleback toads ...

. 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 the eastern

São Paulo state SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of ...

(both the mainland and Ilha de São Sebastião) of

southeastern Brazil The Southeast Region of Brazil ( ) is composed of the states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo State, São Paulo. It is the richest region of the country, responsible for approximately 53% of t ...

, and only known from five locations in Atlantic rainforest at altitudes of .

Description

Adult males measure about and adult females about 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 largest females can reach SVL. This tiny toad has bumpy skin and an overall yellow-orange colour, with its upperparts generally tending towards a duller and darker brownish-green hue. Unlike the more conspicuously coloured '' B. ephippium'' and '' B. pernix'', studies of ''B. nodoterga'' have not detected toxins in its skin or organs.

Habitat and conservation

Little is known about its behavior, but like other saddleback toads it lives among leaf litter. Its conservation status was last reviewed by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

in 2004 where regarded as

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

(insufficient information for rating it), but an independent review in 2019 that used IUCN's criteria recommended that ''B. nodoterga'' should be recognised as vulnerable.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2245246 nodoterga Amphibians of the Atlantic Forest Endemic frogs of Brazil Amphibians described in 1920 Taxa named by Alípio de Miranda-Ribeiro Taxonomy articles created by Polbot