''Stereocyclops'' (common name: Brazilian dumpy frogs) is a small genus of

microhylid The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread family of frogs. The 683 species are in 63 genera and 11 subfamilies, which is the largest number of genera of any frog family. Evolution A molecular phylo ...

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

s. It is

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 els ...

to the

Atlantic forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and t ...

of eastern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Molecular phylogeny suggests that it is

sister taxon In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

to the clade containing ''

Dasypops ''Dasypops'' is a genus of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species, the Rio Mutum frog (''Dasypops schirchi''). It is endemic to the coastal plain of Espírito Santo and Bahia states of eastern B ...

'' and ''

Myersiella ''Myersiella'' is a genus of frogs in the family Microhylidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species, ''Myersiella microps''. It is Endemism, endemic to southeastern Brazil and occurs in Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro (state), ...

''.

Description

''Stereocyclops'' can be defined by features of its

osteology Osteology () is the scientific study of bones, practised by osteologists. A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, and paleontology, osteology is the detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, microbone morphology (biolo ...

. In the skull,

palatine bone In anatomy, the palatine bones () are two irregular bones of the facial skeleton in many animal species, located above the uvula in the throat. Together with the maxillae, they comprise the hard palate. (''Palate'' is derived from the Latin ...

is present, as is the posterior part of prevomer. The

clavicle The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the rig ...

is fully developed and long. Furthermore, the dorsal coloration is light and sharply separated from the dark ventrum by a light line. The head is flattened and the mouth is relatively large. Notice, however, that at the time of this description, the genus was

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

and ''Hyophryne'' was considered a separate genus; a thorough morphological study of the genus as presently understood is lacking.

Beheavior

One species, ''Stereocyclops parkeri'', is known to show defensive behavior that may enhance its cryptic appearance, giving an impression of a casually dislodged leaf: when an individual is disturbed, it makes a short leap, landing with its legs stretched backwards. It will then remain still, sometimes as long as 30 minutes, although it may also move a little forward with a quick movement of the feet, resembling a flicked leaf.

Species

There are four species in the genus:

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2217761 Microhylidae Amphibian genera Amphibians of the Atlantic Forest Endemic frogs of Brazil Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope