''Gastrotheca andaquiensis'', commonly known as the Andes marsupial 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

Hemiphractidae The Hemiphractidae are a family (biology), family of frogs from South America, South and Central America. Previously, this group had been classified as a subfamily (Hemiphractinae) under family Hylidae. More recent research classifies these gen ...

. It is found on the Amazonian slopes of

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

in southern Colombia and Ecuador.

Description

''Gastrotheca andaquiensis'' is a large member of its genus with a

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 ...

of . The head has a rounded snout, a slightly projecting upper lip, a large pit below each nostril, and bluntly-pointed horn-like appendages above the eyes. The

tympani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...

are ovoid and prominent. The body is robust, with a granular skin and a mixture of larger and smaller granules. There is a deeply-sunk slit opening in the scapular region of the back leading into a brood pouch. There are spines on the heels and both fingers and toes are equipped with adhesive discs. In general, males are brown and females are green, but there is considerable variation between individuals, and a part-grown male has been observed which was pale green suffused with bronze. The irises are pale green, the tongue and interior of the mouth are blue, and the discs on fingers and toes are jade green.

Distribution and habitat

''Gastrotheca andaquiensis'' is endemic to Colombia and Ecuador on the eastern foothills of the Andes. It is an

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the Animal locomotion, locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. Th ...

frog occurring in cloud forest in foliage near water where there are trees with plenty of

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

growth. Its altitudinal range is between about .

Ecology

This species is called a marsupial frog because the female carries the eggs and developing froglets in the pouch on her back. About ten large eggs are laid in a clutch and after fertilisation, the male assists the female to insert them into her pouch. Here they develop directly into juvenile frogs without an intervening

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, eventually hopping away from their mother.

Status

This frog has a wide range and is a moderately common species in at least parts of its range. The main threats it faces include habitat loss from livestock grazing and crop cultivation but its range includes a number of protected areas. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has rated its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

", because any decrease in population size is likely to be at too slow a rate to justify classifying it in a more threatened category.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2208944 andaquiensis Frogs of South America Amphibians of the Andes Amphibians of Colombia Amphibians of Ecuador Amphibians described in 1976 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot