''Phasmahyla cruzi'' 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 subfamily Phyllomedusinae. 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 Brazil and solely known from the vicinity of its type locality, Rio das Pedras Reserve in the municipality of

Mangaratiba Mangaratiba () is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Its population is 45,220 (2020) and its area is 352 km2.IBGE - Part of the Sylvester Stallone film '' The Expendables'' was shot in the central part of the c ...

Rio de Janeiro state Rio de Janeiro () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil. It has the second largest economy of Brazil, with the largest being that of the state of São Paulo. The state, which has 8.2% of the Brazilian population, is responsible for 9.2% of ...

. The range extends into the adjacent

Paraty Paraty (or Parati, ) is a preserved Portuguese colonial (1500–1822) and Brazilian Imperial (1822–1889) municipality with a population of about 43,000. Indeed, the name "Paraty" originates from the local Guaianá Indians' Indigenous Tupi l ...

municipality. This species is named for

Carlos Alberto Gonçalves da Cruz Carlos Alberto Gonçalves da Cruz (born 1944) is a Brazilian herpetologist. He works at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro. Taxa named in Cruz's honor * '' Craugastor cruzi'' (McCranie, Savage & Wilson, 1989) * '' Hyla cruzi'' (Pombal & Bast ...

, Brazilian herpetologist. The common name Mangaratiba tree frog has been proposed for it.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females, based on a single specimen, about 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 body and limbs are slender. The snout is short and truncated. The eyes are large and protuberant. The tympanum is small and its upper part is hidden by the supratympanic fold. The fingers and the toes bear small terminal discs. No webbing is present. Skin is smooth. Dorsal coloration is light to dark green with light to dark purple dots. The concealed parts of the limbs and flanks are orange with many small purple spots. The belly is cream. The iris is silver-gray.

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 ...

s of

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 ...

37 measure in total length, which includes the ovoid body. The mouth is anterodorsal and has a funnel-shaped dermal fold.

Habitat and conservation

''Phasmahyla cruzi'' have been collected from a stream with a sandy bottom at an elevation of about and higher. In general, ''Phasmahyla'' are associated with mountain streams in the

Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and th ...

domain. As of April 2022, this species has not been assessed for the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3378644 cruzi Frogs of South America Amphibians of Brazil Endemic fauna of Brazil Amphibians described in 2009