''Gastrotheca excubitor'' 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

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 southern

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

and occurs in the Amazonian slopes and crests of the Cordillera Oriental in the

Cusco Region Cusco, also spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu suyu ), is a department and region in Peru and is the fourth largest department in the country, after Madre de Dios, Ucayali, and Loreto. It borders the departments of Ucayali on the north; Madre de D ...

; records from the

Cajamarca Region Cajamarca (; qu, Kashamarka; ay, Qajamarka) is a department and region in Peru. The capital is the city of Cajamarca. It is located in the north part of the country and shares a border with Ecuador. The city has an elevation of above sea le ...

are likely erroneous. It is likely to include

cryptic species In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

. Common name Abra Acanacu marsupial frog has been coined for it.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females in snout–vent length. The snout is rounded. The tympanum is vertically ovoid; the supra-tympanic fold is weakly developed and granular. The fingers have no webbing whereas the toes have basal webbing; the discs are almost round. Skin is smooth dorsally. The dorsum is tan, gray, or green and has dark brown or green markings consisting of a broad inter-orbita1 bar that is connected to pair of broad, longitudinal stripes; the latter are partially or completely merged in some specimens. The flanks are bronze-tan to bluish green and have dark brown and/or cream spots. The venter is tan. The

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants *Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional enti ...

is copper with fine black reticulations. The

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 ...

in calling males is dark gray. Females have a single median brood pouch in which the eggs are brooded until they hatch into froglets. The average fecundity is about 20 eggs.

Habitat and conservation

''Gastrotheca excubitor'' is a terrestrial frogs inhabiting humid

Puna grassland The puna grassland ecoregion, of the montane grasslands and shrublands biome, is found in the central Andes Mountains of South America. It is considered one of the eight Natural Regions in Peru,Pulgar Vidal, Javier: Geografía del Perú; Las Ocho ...

with mosses and bunchgrass, above the treeline (

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 can also be found in low intensity farmed areas. They are typically found beneath stones during the day, or walking about in deep moss. Males call at night. This species 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 agriculture, burning of grasslands, and the development of tourism infrastructure. The fungus ''

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ''Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis'' ( ), also known as ''Bd'' or the amphibian chytrid fungus, is a fungus that causes the disease chytridiomycosis in amphibians. Since its discovery in 1998 by Lee Berger, the disease devastated amphibian popul ...

'' has been detected in the species, but it appears resistant to it. ''Gastrotheca excubitor'' is known from several protected areas, including the

Manú National Park Manú National Park ( es, Parque Nacional del Manú) is a national park and biosphere reserve located in the regions of Madre de Dios and Cusco in Peru. It protects a diverse number of ecosystems including lowland rainforests, cloud forests and ...

and

Machu Picchu Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a mountain range.UNESCO World Heritage Centre. It is located in the Machupicchu District within Urubamba Province above the Sacred Valley, which ...

Historical Sanctuary.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2209562 excubitor Amphibians of the Andes Amphibians of Peru Endemic fauna of Peru Taxa named by William Edward Duellman Amphibians described in 1972 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot