''Atlantihyla melissa'' is a species of frog in the family Hylidae, endemic to

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

. It has been observed between 780 and 1680 meters above sea level in the

Cordillera Nombre de Dios A cordillera is an extensive chain and/or network system of mountain ranges, such as those in the west coast of the Americas. The term is borrowed from Spanish, where the word comes from , a diminutive of ('rope'). The term is most commonly u ...

mountains. Its known habitat is contained within the Refugio de Vida Silvestre Texiguat.

Appearance

The adult male frog measures 30.4 - 38.8 mm in snout-vent length and the adult female frog is 30.9 - 43.9 mm long. This frog can be any of several colors. Some frogs have spots and some do not. Most frogs have a ventrolateral stripe that can be pale to bright yellow. This frog exhibits considerable

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

but scientists note large amounts of inter-individual variation as well. Adult male frogs can have salmon colored eyes or red eyes. Adult female frogs have green eyes or brown eyes.

Habitat

These frogs live in riparian habitats with fast-moving water and rocky beds with pools nearby. At night, scientists have observed these frogs sitting on plants that hang over the water. The adult male's advertisement call can be noted even when the frog himself is hidden.

Tadpoles

The tadpole can grow to be 47.1 mm long. The tadpole has a large oral disk on the bottom of its body. The young frogs emerge from the water as metamorphs in July or July.

Threats

This frog is considered critically endangered because of its extremely small range.

Deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...

from logging and construction threaten its habitat.

Etymology

Scientists named this frog after fellow researcher Isis Melissa Medina-Flores, a biologist who studied the amphibians of Honduras. In 2016, she went missing while climbing Honduras' highest mountain, and no sign of her was ever found.

References

Frogs of North America Endemic fauna of Honduras Amphibians described in 2022

melissa Melissa is a female given name. The name comes from the Greek word μέλισσα (''mélissa''), "bee", which in turn comes from μέλι (''meli''), "honey". In Hittite, ''melit'' signifies "honey". ''Melissa'' also refers to the plant ''Me ...

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