The Seychelles frog (''Sooglossus sechellensis'') is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found elsew ...

to Mahé, Silhouette and Praslin islands in the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...

. It inhabits the floor of damp

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

at altitudes from to

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. Higher altitude sites are considered to be more climatically stable and more suitable. The species is present in

Morne Seychellois National Park Morne is an Old-French word for a small mountain. It may refer to: * Morne a Chandelle, a village in the Sud-Est department of Haiti * Morne-à-l'Eau, a commune in Guadeloupe * Morne Bois-Pin, the fourth highest mountain in Haiti * Morne la Vigie ...

Silhouette National Park A silhouette ( , ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhou ...

and

Praslin National Park The Praslin National Park and surrounding areas Important Bird Area lies in the southern part of the island of Praslin in the Seychelles archipelago of the western Indian Ocean. Description The 700 ha Important Bird Area (IBA) extends fr ...

. The reproductive biology of this species is unusual. Eggs are laid on the ground and guarded until they hatch. The tadpoles are thereafter carried on one of their parent's backs. The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

assessed the species as "

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

" in 2013. Although it is locally common, it has a small area of occupancy (about 29 km²), a severely fragmented habitat and distribution, and a declining population, particularly at lower altitudes. It is threatened by habitat degradation due to fire and invasive species (the tree '' Cinnamomum verum'' and the yellow crazy ant, ''

Anoplolepis gracilipes ''Anoplolepis'', also known as the "pugnacious ants", is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae and tribe Lasiini. The genus is mainly found in the Afrotropics, with a few native species known from the Malagasy and Oriental regions (and so ...

''). In addition, climate change projections predict a steady shrinkage in its area of habitat due to declining rainfall. Genetic analysis indicates that the three populations of this species are all distinct from each other and are possibly even separate species. It has been proposed that each of the three populations be considered

evolutionary significant units An evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) is a population of organisms that is considered distinct for purposes of conservation. Delineating ESUs is important when considering conservation action. This term can apply to any species, subspecies, geo ...

for conservation purposes.

References

External links

Monitoring and research into the amphibians and reptiles of Seychelles
Amphibians of Seychelles Endemic fauna of Seychelles Sooglossus Amphibians described in 1896 {{Neobatrachia-stub