''Hylodes asper'', or the Brazilian torrent 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 ...

s in the family

Hylodidae Hylodidae, commonly known as giant Neotropical torrent frogs, is a family of frogs native to Brazil and northern Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the souther ...

. 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 the

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

and

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

states in southeastern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Living in a high-noise environment, the species uses " semaphoring" to supplement acoustic signalling.

Behaviour

''Hylodes asper'' are diurnal. Males use both visual and acoustic signalling to attract females and to maintain their territories. "Foot-flagging" is the most distinctive visual display, usually performed while calling. In foot-flagging, the raises one hind limb and extends it up and back, exposing the silvery colour of the dorsal surfaces of toes and toe fringes. Male ''Hylodes asper'' have been observed to construct an underwater chamber, apparently for use as a nest for reproduction.

Habitat and conservation

The species' natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are larger forest streams and small forest rivers in

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

and old

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

forests. Active by day, it can be found on rocks and low vegetation along the streams. ''Hylodes asper'' is generally common, but local declines have been reported. The most significant threats to this

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

are the effects of tourism and

water pollution Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. Water ...

, although it generally lives in steep terrain with little development.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2237577 asper Endemic fauna of Brazil Amphibians of Brazil Frogs of South America Amphibians described in 2002 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot