''Anomaloglossus parkerae'' 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 ...

in the family

Aromobatidae The Aromobatidae are a family of frogs native to Central and South America. They are sometimes referred to as cryptic forest frogs or cryptic poison frogs. They are the sister taxon of the Dendrobatidae, the poison dart frogs, but are not as toxi ...

. As currently known, 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 elsew ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

and is only know from near its type locality in the La Escalera, the Bolívar state, Venezuela, near the Guyanese border. However, its range is expected to extend southward to the

Gran Sabana La Gran Sabana (, en, The Great Savanna) is a region in southeastern Venezuela, part of the Guianan savanna ecoregion. The savanna spreads into the regions of the Guiana Highlands and south-east into Bolívar State, extending further to the bo ...

as well as into the adjacent Guyana. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''parkerae'' honors Dr. Nancy Parker, undergraduate adviser of one of the scientists who described the species.

Description

Adult males, based on the

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

that is the only male specimen in the

type series In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

, measure about and adult females in snout–vent length. The overall appearance is robust. The snout is bluntly rounded in dorsal view and posteroventrally inclined in profile. The tympanum is not visible in the male but is visible in the females. Supra-tympanic fold is absent. Forelimbs are long and slender. The finger tips have expanded discs; no webbing is present. The hind limbs are robust. The toes are webbed and bear lateral fringes as well as terminal discs. Skin is smooth. The dorsum is grayish tan with olive brown markings. The throat is orange yellow while the rest of the venter is creamy yellow. The

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants *Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional enti ...

is pale bronze.

Habitat and conservation

''Anomaloglossus parkerae'' occurs in the tropical montane forests of

Sierra de Lema The Sierra de Lema is an upland mountain range area with tepuis, located in Bolívar state of southeastern Venezuela. The names Sierra Rinocote and Sierra Usupamo have historically been applied to its eastern and western portions, respectivel ...

at elevations of

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 ...

. It is diurnal. Specimens have been found in a muddy roadside ditch and on the rocky banks of rivers.

Tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...

s believed to be of this species have been found in shallow puddles ( deep) and in small streams and under rocks in small pools in a roadside ditch. Adults forage on insects such as ants, beetles, termites, and dipterans, and on

isopod Isopoda is an order of crustaceans that includes woodlice and their relatives. Isopods live in the sea, in fresh water, or on land. All have rigid, segmented exoskeletons, two pairs of antennae, seven pairs of jointed limbs on the thorax, an ...

s. ''Anomaloglossus parkerae'' is potentially threatened by

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 construction of power lines and the associated access roads that results in deforestation, and by tourism. Its population status is unknown but it is thought to be common and protected by

Canaima National Park Canaima National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Canaima) is a park in south-eastern Venezuela that roughly occupies the same area as the Gran Sabana region. It is located in Bolívar State, reaching the borders with Brazil and Guyana. History Ca ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2852267 parkerae Frogs of South America Amphibians of Venezuela Endemic fauna of Venezuela Amphibians described in 1996 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot