''Eleutherodactylus parapelates'' 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 ...

in 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 ...

. Common names Casillon robber frog (''

sic The Latin adverb ''sic'' (; "thus", "just as"; in full: , "thus was it written") inserted after a quoted word or passage indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated exactly as found in the source text, complete with any e ...

'' — the type locality is spelled "Castillon") and Macaya burrowing frog have been proposed for it.

Description

Adult males measure on average in snout–vent length and can reach ; females are unknown. The snout is protruding in profile. The

canthus rostralis In snakes and amphibians, the canthus, canthal ridge or ''canthus rostralis'',Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. . is the angle between the flat crown of the head and the ...

is well defined. The supra-tympanic fold is prominent and hides the upper edge of the tympanum. The fingers and toes have expanded tips; toes are unwebbed but fingers have indistinct lateral ridges. The dorsum is dark brown to pale brown, almost tan, and has darker spotting. There are black supra-tympanic markings.

Habitat and conservation

Its 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 tropical closed 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

fossorial A fossorial () animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily, but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees. Prehistoric eviden ...

species. Males call from shallow, underground chambers, and also the eggs are laid underground. However, one individual was found on herbaceous vegetation about 1 m above the ground. Calling males can be found quite close to each other (about 1 m apart). ''Eleutherodactylus parapelates'' 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 ...

: its range is suffering from severe

habitat destruction 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 ...

, primarily due to logging for charcoal production by local people and by slash-and-burn agriculture. Part of its range overlaps with 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 the park is not managed for conservation. It was formerly moderately common in suitable habitat but has now largely disappeared.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3050784 parapelates Frogs of Haiti Endemic fauna of Haiti Amphibians described in 1987 Taxa named by Stephen Blair Hedges Taxa named by Richard Thomas (herpetologist) Taxonomy articles created by Polbot