''Lepidobatrachus llanensis'' (common name: llanos frog; in Spanish: ''escuerzo'') 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

Ceratophryidae The Ceratophryidae, also known as common horned frogs, are a family of frogs found in South America. It is a relatively small family with three extant genera and 12 species. Despite the common name, not all species in the family have the horn-like ...

. It is found in northern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, western

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

, and southern

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Habitat and ecology

''Lepidobatrachus llanensis'' is an aquatic frog inhabiting dry scrubland and semi-arid areas at elevations below . Breeding takes place in temporary pools and water tanks on cattle farms. During the dry season these frogs burrow underground, only to emerge again after rain. To deal with dry conditions, they form a protective cocoon that greatly reduces the loss of water.

Conservation

''Lepidobatrachus llanensis'' is an uncommon frog living in isolated populations. 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 pollution. It occurs in a number of protected areas in Argentina and Paraguay.

References

llanensis Amphibians of Argentina Amphibians of Bolivia Amphibians of Paraguay Amphibians described in 1963 Taxa named by José Miguel Alfredo María Cei Taxa named by Osvaldo Reig Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{hyloidea-stub