''Eleutherodactylus emiliae'' 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 central

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and known from the

Escambray ''Escambray'' is a Cuban newspaper. It is published in Spanish, with an online English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''Engli ...

and Banao Mountains. The species is named for "Emilia", but it is not known who the person in question was. Common name Emilia's robber frog has been coined for it.

Description

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 ...

, a female, measures in snout–vent length, and this is also given as the maximum size for the species. The body has a robust and compact appearance. The head is wider than it is long. The snout is short. The tympanum is visible. Digital discs are weakly developed. Skin is dorsally smooth or slightly granular and ventrally smooth. Dorsal coloration is grayish, cream, dark brown, or yellowish brown; a pale thin vertebral line is often present. The sides of the head are dark, mask-like. The inner sides of the thighs can be red, as in the holotype.

Habitat and conservation

''Eleutherodactylus emiliae'' occurs in closed-canopy, humid forests 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 a terrestrial species that can be found under rocks, trunks, and among the rhizomes of tree ferns. Eggs are deposited on the ground. Development is direct, without free-living larval stage. It is an uncommon species. It is 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 ...

and disturbance caused by agriculture and tourism. It is known from a few protected areas, but these are not providing adequate protection.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eleutherodactylus Emiliae emiliae Endemic fauna of Cuba Amphibians of Cuba Amphibians described in 1926 Taxa named by Emmett Reid Dunn Taxonomy articles created by Polbot