''Noblella myrmecoides'' 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

Strabomantidae The Strabomantidae are a family of frogs native to South America. These frogs lack a free-living larval stage and hatch directly into miniature "froglets". This family includes ''Pristimantis'', the most speciose genus of any vertebrate. System ...

. It is found in the upper

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

of southeastern Colombia (

Amazonas Department Amazonas () is a department of Southern Colombia in the south of the country. It is the largest department in area while also having the 3rd smallest population. Its capital is Leticia and its name comes from the Amazon River, which drains t ...

), eastern Ecuador (

Orellana Province Orellana () is an inland province of Ecuador. The capital is Puerto Francisco de Orellana (also known as Coca). It was created on July 30, 1998, from part of Napo Province. The name of the province derives from the explorer Francisco de Orella ...

), eastern Peru ( Loreto,

San Martín San Martín or San Martin may refer to: People Saints * Saint Martin (disambiguation)#People, name of various saints in Spanish Political leaders *Vicente San Martin (1839 -1901), Military, National hero of Mexico. *Basilio San Martin (1849 ...

Huánuco Huánuco (; qu, Wanuku) is a city in central Peru. It had a population of 196,627 as of 2017 and in 2015 it had a population of 175,068. It is the capital of the Huánuco Region and the Huánuco District. It is the seat of the diocese of Huán ...

Cusco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the list of cities in Peru, seventh m ...

, and

Madre de Dios Region Madre de Dios (, en, Mother of God) is a department and region in southeastern Peru, bordering Brazil, Bolivia and the Peruvian departments of Puno, Cusco and Ucayali, in the Amazon Basin. Its capital is the city of Puerto Maldonado. It is als ...

s), Bolivia (Departments of

Cochabamba Cochabamba ( ay, Quchapampa; qu, Quchapampa) is a city and municipality in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and the fourth largest city in Bolivia, with a population of 63 ...

and

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

), and western Brazil ( Amazonas). Common name Loreto leaf frog has been coined for this species.

Etymology

The specific name ''myrmecoides'' is derived from Greek ''myrmex'' and ''-oides'', meaning "ant-like", and refers to the small size of the species.

Description

''Noblella myrmecoides'' is a small species: adult males measure and females in snout–vent length (SVL). The head is nearly as wide as the body and wider than it is long, and the snout is short. The tympanum is distinct. The fingers and toes are unwebbed; the fingers bear no discs whereas the tips of the toes bear dilated pads and discs. Dorsal skin is slightly granular. The coloration is variable, between light grayish brown to reddish brown. The venter is dark gray or dark brown. A female measuring SVL contained six mature eggs in diameter. It is presumed that the development is direct, i.e., the eggs hatch directly into froglets, bypassing free-living larval stage.

Habitat and conservation

''Noblella myrmecoides'' is a reasonably abundant species that inhabits lowland, premontane, and montane primary tropical moist forests at elevations between

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 is a leaf-litter species. While much suitable habitat remains, it is locally 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, e.g., clear cutting and

smallholder A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

agriculture. It is present in the

Manú National Park Manú National Park ( es, Parque Nacional del Manú) is a national park and biosphere reserve located in the regions of Madre de Dios and Cusco in Peru. It protects a diverse number of ecosystems including lowland rainforests, cloud forests and ...

, Peru.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q957362 myrmecoides Amphibians of Bolivia Amphibians of Brazil Amphibians of Colombia Amphibians of Ecuador Amphibians of Peru Taxa named by John Douglas Lynch Amphibians described in 1976 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot