The greenhouse frog (''Eleutherodactylus planirostris'') is a
species of
frog in the
family Eleutherodactylidae, native to Cuba, the Bahamas, and the
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...
, and it has been introduced to other areas, such as
Florida,
Hawaii,
Guam,
Hong Kong and
Shenzhen.
Description
The greenhouse frog is a very small species, ranging from in length. These frogs are usually drab or olive-brown in colour, and occur in two forms; one has two broad stripes running longitudinally down the back, and the other is mottled. The undersides of both are a paler colour than the back, and the eyes are red.
Distribution and habitat
The greenhouse frog is native to Cuba and some other islands in the
West Indies. It has been introduced to Hawaii and Florida, where it has become common. It has been sporadically found in southern
Georgia, southern
Alabama and eastern
Louisiana.
It is an introduced species in
Jamaica ,
Guam and
Shenzhen,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.
It lives in moist leaf litter, often near human habitations, but is seldom seen because it is
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
.
[ It sometimes emerges on warm, rainy days in summer, and in Florida, it has been found ]hibernating
Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most ...
in March under the flaking bark of a wild tamarind (''Lysiloma
''Lysiloma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae.
The genus is native to the Americas, and species range from Arizona and New Mexico through Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica, and in Florida, Cuba, Hispaniola, the Bahama ...
'') tree.[
]
Diet
The diet of the greenhouse frog consists of small invertebrates, such as ants, beetles, mites, spiders, and roaches.[
]
Reproduction
The greenhouse frog is unusual in that its eggs are not laid in water or in a frothy mass as is the case in some tree frogs. Instead, the eggs are enclosed in a thick membrane and laid singly in concealed, damp locations, such as beneath a log, buried in debris, or even under a flower pot.[ Clutch sizes vary between three and 26 eggs in Florida. They pass through their tadpole stage while still in the egg, and emerge as fully developed juvenile frogs about long with a short tail that soon gets reabsorbed. In warm conditions, hatching may occur on the 13th day of development. The tadpoles have an "egg tooth" on the end of their snouts to help them to emerge from the egg case. Afterwards, this is no longer of use, so is shed.][ The adult frog may provide some parental care by guarding the eggs, as frogs have been observed lurking in the vicinity of egg clumps.]
References
External links
Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR), ''Eleutherodactylus planirostris''
''Eleutherodactylus'' introductions to Hawaii (Kraus et al. 1999, Herpetological Review)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3010817
Eleutherodactylus
Amphibians of Cuba
Fauna of the Cayman Islands
Frogs of North America
Least concern biota of North America
Amphibians described in 1862
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot