''Eleutherodactylus counouspeus'', also known as Counou robber frog and yellow cave frog, 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

Eleutherodactylidae The Eleutherodactylidae are a family of direct-developing frogs native to northern South America, the Caribbean, and southernmost North America. They are sometimes known under the common name rain frogs. Formerly the subfamily Eleutherodactylina ...

. 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 ...

to the

Massif de la Hotte The Massif de la Hotte is a mountain range in southwestern Haiti, on the Tiburon Peninsula. About 2.5 million years ago, Massif de la Hotte was separated from the Massif de la Selle by a deep, wide sea channel, and formed a separate island. This r ...

, southwestern

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. 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 ...

''counouspeus'' refers to its type locality, Counou Bois Cave, with ''speus'' being Greek for "cave". Hedges and colleagues suggested in 2008 that it should be placed in its own monotypic

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

, ''Schwartzius'', reflecting its distinctiveness and honoring Albert Schwartz for "his contributions to the herpetology of the West Indies."

Description

''Eleutherodactylus counouspeus'' is a relatively large ''Eleutherodactylus'' species: males can grow to and females to in

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the most c ...

. The snout is truncate. The tympanum is oval and distinct. The digital discs are well-developed. The fingers lack webbing while the toes have rudimentary webbing. The dorsum is greenish yellow to tan, with black or gray markings. These include an interocular bar that is often followed by a scapular +-shaped blotch. The limbs have rather diffuse dark-gray spotting. The throat is yellowish green, heavily mottled with brownish. The belly is pinkish with admixture of yellow-green, suffused with brown stippling. Males have an external (but not prominent)

vocal sac The vocal sac is the flexible membrane of skin possessed by most male frogs and toads. The purpose of the vocal sac is usually as an amplification of their mating or advertisement call. The presence or development of the vocal sac is one way o ...

Habitat and conservation

''Eleutherodactylus counouspeus'' occurs in limestone caves and crevices in closed, humid forest 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 ...

, as well as in disturbed forest habitats. Eggs are deposited in caves and have direct development (i.e., there is no free-living larval stage). It is a moderately common species but 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 ...

. The species occurs in the

Pic Macaya National Park Pic Macaya National Park (french: Parc National Pic Macaya) is one of two national parks of the Republic of Haiti. It is located in the country's southern peninsula, within the Massif de la Hotte. Featuring the country's last stand of virgin cl ...

, but there is no active management for conservation, and habitat loss continues in the park. It is also present in the better managed

Grand Bois National Park Grand Bois National Park (French: Parc National Naturel de Grand Bois, Haitian Creole: Gran Bwa Pak Nasyonal) is a national park in Haiti. It was established on September 23, 2015, by Haitian president, Michel Martelly.Le Moniteur, Journal Offic ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eleutherodactylus Counouspeus counouspeus Frogs of Haiti Endemic fauna of Haiti Amphibians described in 1964 Taxa named by Albert Schwartz (zoologist) Taxonomy articles created by Polbot