The greater bromeliad tree frog (''Bromeliohyla dendroscarta'') 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 Hylidae

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 mountains of central

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

and northern

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. It has been observed between 450 and 1900 meters above sea level.

Appearance

The adult frog measures about 35 mm in snout-vent length. The skin on the dorsum can be yellow in color with small brown spots to green in color. The iris of the eye is gold in color. The ventrum is yellow in color. Tadpoles are cream in color with transparent stomachs. The tadpoles have only been observed eating

detritus In biology, detritus () is dead particulate organic material, as distinguished from dissolved organic material. Detritus typically includes the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organisms, and fecal material. Detritus typically hosts commun ...

, such as dead insects that fall into the water in the bromeliad plants.

Habitat and conservation

''Bromeliohyla dendroscarta'' inhabits

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

s where it breeds and takes refuge in

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...

s. This species has never been common, but it seems to have dramatically declined and had not been recorded since 1974, despite surveys. However, an unidentified hylid frog was heard calling from bromeliads high in trees in 2007 at one historic location of this species; this frog may have been ''Bromeliohyla dendroscarta''. Surveys in 2011 and 2012 were able to locate the species, and it has been seen a few times since then, proving the species is not extinct. While

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 ...

may have contributed to the decline of this species, the main reason probably was chytridiomycosis.

Original description

References

Bromeliohyla Endemic amphibians of Mexico Fauna of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca Amphibians described in 1940 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Hylinae-stub