''Ischnocnema sambaqui'' 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 ...

s in the family

Brachycephalidae The Brachycephalidae () are a family of frogs confined to eastern and southern Brazil and northern Argentina. The family is composed of two externally quite different genera: the tiny, often (but not always) colourful and plump saddleback toads ( ...

. 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 state of Paraná,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, and known from the municipalities of

Guaraqueçaba Guaraqueçaba is the easternmost municipality in the Brazilian state of Paraná, and one of the few coastal municipalities of the state. The short Ararapira River marks the border with São Paulo. Guaraqueçaba has historical significance, being ...

Piraquara Piraquara is a municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil. The municipality contains part of the Serra da Baitaca State Park, created in 2002. Notable people * Charles Emmanuel de Barros Marcondes (1989-) Brazili ...

, and

Morretes Morretes is a small historic city of the Brazilian state of Paraná. It has a population of around 16,000 people. It is famous for its restaurants, especially a traditional dish called ''barreado''. It is also the home of many historical monument ...

Etymology

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 ...

''sambaqui'' is a

Tupi language Old Tupi, Ancient Tupi or Classical Tupi (also spelled as Tupí) is an extinct Tupian language which was spoken by the aboriginal Tupi people of Brazil, mostly those who inhabited coastal regions in South and Southeast Brazil. It belongs to the ...

word referring to mollusk shell mounds left by earlier inhabitants of the Brazilian coast. There are some ''sambaquis'' near the type locality of this species in Guaraqueçaba.

Description

Adult males measure in snout–vent length. The body is robust and the head is wider than long. The snout is rounded in dorsal view and acuminate-rounded in lateral view. The tympanum is distinct and large. The fingers and toes have discs; those on the third and fourth finger are enlarged. Males have a single

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 ...

. The dorsum is brown with yellowish brown and dark brown marks and scattered yellow tubercles. There is a "W"-like mark behind the eyes. The throat and venter are grayish white with yellow spots.

Habitat and conservation

The species' 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 secondary and old growth coastal rainforests 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 occurs in vegetation as well as on the forest floor. The eggs are laid on the ground where they develop directly into froglets, without free-living

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 ...

-stage. ''Ischnocnema sambaqui'' 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 ...

caused by logging, cattle ranching, and tourism. It occurs in the

Pico do Marumbi State Park The Pico do Marumbi State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual Pico do Marumbi) is a State park in the state of Paraná, Brazil. Location The Pico do Marumbi State Park is in the municipality of Morretes, Paraná. It has an area of . It may be reached fro ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ischnocnema Sambaqui sambaqui Endemic frogs of Brazil Amphibians described in 2000 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot