''Strabomantis anatipes'' (vernacular name: anatipes robber frog) is a species of

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 ...

in the family

Strabomantidae The Strabomantidae 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 most speciose genus of any vertebrate. System ...

. It is found in the Mira River drainage in extreme northern Ecuador and in adjacent southern Colombia ( Nariño, Cauca, and Valle del Cauca Departments) in foothills and lower cloud forest on the Pacific lowlands and slopes of the Cordillera Occidental. It altitudinal range is

asl American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is express ...

. The specific name refers to the extensive foot webbing of the species: it is a compound of the Latin ''anatis'' (of a duck) and ''pes'' (foot).

Description

''Strabomantis anatipes'' is a large species of frog: males measure more than and females > in snout–vent length. In males, skin of dorsum bears numerous pimple like spinules and a pair of sinuous postorbital ridges, but is smooth with low tubercles, short ridges, and postorbital ridges in females. They are greenish brown with orangish warts and ridges. Groin, anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs are dull yellow with black reticulation. Throat is white with brown vermiculations. Venter and undersides of limbs are yellow. Iris is bright copper with black flecks and a brown horizontal streak.

Habitat and conservation

The species' natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are forests, from

tropical moist lowland forest Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, disco ...

to lower

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud ...

. It is closely associated with small streams. It is

nocturnal Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have ...

, sitting on rocks, very steep cliffs, or in rocky crevices alongside streams. ''Strabomantis anatipes'' is a very uncommon species. It is believed to be declining in abundance.

Habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

caused by agricultural development, logging, and human settlement is probably the main threat to it. Also pollution from spraying illegal crops is a significant threat.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q3014800 anatipes Amphibians described in 1983 Amphibians of the Andes Amphibians of Colombia Amphibians of Ecuador Taxa named by John Douglas Lynch Taxonomy articles created by Polbot