''Atlantihyla panchoi'', also known as the Guatemala stream 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 Hylidae. 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 eastern Guatemala and is only known from three localities in the

Sierra de las Minas Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range i ...

and Montañas del Mico ranges. 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 ...

''panchoi'' honors , an American herpetologist.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females, based on a single specimen, in

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 ...

. The snout is rounded but has a pointed tip in dorsal view because of a vertical rostral keel. The tympanum is round but its upper edge is obscured by the heavy supratympanic fold. The fingers bear large discs and are up to about half webbed. The toes are almost fully webbed and bear discs somewhat smaller than the fingers ones. The dorsal ground color is grayish tan with green flecks (especially prominent on the eyelids, sometimes completely ringed by them) and darker brown mottling, or dark brown with darker gray brown markings. There is a white stripe on the edge of the upper lip and a white spot below the eye. A distinctive white stripe runs from above axilla along the flanks to the groin, becoming fragmented posteriorly. The throat, chest, belly and ventral surfaces of the limbs are pale yellow with scattered dark brown flecks. The iris is blood orange. A

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 ...

Gosner stage Gosner stage is a generalized system of describing stages of embryonal and larval development in anurans (frogs and toads). The Gosner system includes 46 numbered stages, from fertilized embryo (stage 1) to the completion of metamorphosis (stage ...

30 measures in total length, of which almost three quarters is the tail.

Habitat and conservation

''Atlantihyla panchoi'' inhabits moist tropical forests 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 often occurs along streams, and does not occur in degraded habitats. Specimens have been seen about high in dense vegetation, often sitting on the tops of leaves. Breeding takes place in streams. Though once relatively easy to find in suitable habitat, this species is now uncommon and may already have been extirpated from its type locality. It 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 expanding agriculture, wood extraction, and human settlement, as well as by water pollution and chytridiomycosis. It has been recorded in two protected areas, Sierra de las Minas biosphere reserve and ''Reserva Protector de Mantanial Cerro de San Gil'' (Sierra del Mico).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2708272 Critically endangered fauna of North America Atlantihyla Frogs of North America Amphibians of Guatemala Endemic fauna of Guatemala Amphibians described in 1982 Taxa named by Jonathan A. Campbell Taxa named by William Edward Duellman Taxonomy articles created by Polbot