The Monte Iberia eleuth (''Eleutherodactylus iberia''), also known as the Monte Iberia dwarf frog, is a species of
eleutherodactylid frog. It is
critically endangered and
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
rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
in a small part of easternmost
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
.
It is the
smallest frog in the
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...
and the third smallest frog in the world, at about in snout–to–
vent
Vent or vents may refer to:
Science and technology Biology
*Vent, the cloaca region of an animal
*Vent DNA polymerase, a thermostable DNA polymerase
Geology
*Hydrothermal vent, a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water ...
length (only a few members of the Southern Hemisphere genera ''
Brachycephalus'', ''
Mini
The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
'', ''
Paedophryne'' and ''
Stumpffia
''Stumpffia'' is a genus of microhylid frogs that are endemic to Madagascar. They are mostly brown frogs that typically live among leaf litter. ''S. contumelia'' has a snout–vent length of about , making it one of the world's smallest frogs, ...
'' are smaller).
It was first discovered in 1993 on Mount Iberia in the
Holguín Province
Holguín () is one of the provinces of Cuba, the third most populous after Havana and Santiago de Cuba. It lies in the southeast of the country. Its major cities include Holguín (the capital), Banes, Antilla, Mayarí, and Moa.
The province ha ...
, from which it gets its name. Much remains unknown about this small creature. It is part of a closely related Cuban group that contains five additional described species (''
E. cubanus'', ''
E. etheridgei'', ''
E. jaumei'', ''
E. limbatus'' and ''
E. orientalis'') and at least one
undescribed species; most of which are of tiny size, relatively brightly colored and possibly
aposematic
Aposematism is the advertising by an animal to potential predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defences which make the prey difficult to kill and eat, such as toxicity, venom, foul taste or ...
(at least ''E. iberia'' and ''E. orientalis'' have
alkaloid
Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...
toxins in their skin).
Discovery
This diminutive species was first documented by Cuban scientist Alberto R. Estrada of the Institute of Forest Research in
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. , working with
S. Blair Hedges of
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...
in association with the
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...
's Biotic Surveys and Inventories Program. On a 1993 expedition to Cuchillas de Moa in search of the
ivory-billed woodpecker
The ivory-billed woodpecker (''Campephilus principalis'') is a possibly extinct woodpecker that is native to the bottomland hardwood forests and temperate coniferous forests of the Southern United States and Cuba. Habitat destruction and hunting ...
(now believed to be extinct), four ''E. iberia'' specimens were collected after being uncovered under
leaf litter
Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent ...
and among the
root
In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the sur ...
s of
fern
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...
s in a secondary hardwood forest on the western slope of Monte Iberia. The find was published in the journal ''
Copeia
''Ichthyology & Herpetology'' (formerly ''Copeia'') is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in ichthyology and herpetology that was originally named after Edward Drinker Cope, a prominent American researcher in these fiel ...
'', where the name ''Eleutherodactylus iberia'' was introduced.
Description
Three adult males in the type series
In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...
measure and the sole adult female in snout–vent length.[
''E. iberia'' is physically similar to '' E. limbatus'' and '' E. orientalis'', but it is generally darker and the lines on its back do not extend as far to the rear. Because of the extreme miniaturization of the species, it possesses fewer teeth than related species and a laryngeal apparatus comparable in size to the head of a pin (resulting in a high-pitched call of a series of irregular chirps, comparable to other species of the genus).][
Reproductive information is extremely limited. The female specimen which was the sole source of data thus far was found beside an egg, suggesting ''E. iberia'' lays a single egg in each clutch and the parents are closely involved in raising the young (as is common with animals which birth few offspring a time).]
Habitat
Only two isolated populations are known to exist, both in the Holguín Province
Holguín () is one of the provinces of Cuba, the third most populous after Havana and Santiago de Cuba. It lies in the southeast of the country. Its major cities include Holguín (the capital), Banes, Antilla, Mayarí, and Moa.
The province ha ...
of eastern Cuba at elevations under 600 m above sea level. The first location is on top of the Monte Iberia tableland
A table or tableland is a butte, flank of a mountain, or mountain, that has a flat top.
This kind of landform has numerous names, including:
* Butte
* Mesa
*
* Potrero
* Tepui
* Terrace
* Tuya
A tuya is a flat-topped, steep-sided vol ...
where the frog was discovered. The second is smaller (less than 100 km2) and sparsely occupied, near Nibujón
Nibujón is a Cuban village and ''consejo popular'' ("people's council", i.e. hamlet) of the municipality of Baracoa, in Guantánamo Province. In 2011 it had a population of 3,135.
History
In origins, the village was a scarcely populated rural are ...
at sea level. This latter area has suffered great disturbances over the past 40 years from human activities.
''E. iberia'' exists in areas of closed rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
with poorly drained soil; it requires high humidity
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present.
Humidity depe ...
for its survival.
Diet
The Monte Iberia Eleuth has a similar diet to other small frogs, despite its miniature size. It hunts and eats a wide range of invertebrates, feeding on insects, moths, and spiders.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1546330
Eleutherodactylus
Amphibians of Cuba
Endemic fauna of Cuba
Amphibians described in 1996
Taxa named by Stephen Blair Hedges