''Phytotriades'' is a genus of

tree frog A tree frog (or treefrog) is any species of frog that spends a major portion of its lifespan in trees, known as an arboreal state. Several lineages of frogs among the Neobatrachia have given rise to treefrogs, although they are not closely relat ...

s in the family

Hylidae Hylidae is a wide-ranging family of frogs commonly referred to as "tree frogs and their allies". However, the hylids include a diversity of frog species, many of which do not live in trees, but are terrestrial or semiaquatic. Taxonomy and s ...

. As currently delimited, the genus is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

and contains ''Phytotriades auratus'', commonly known as the golden tree frog, bromeliad-dwelling treefrog, El Tucuche golden tree frog, or Trinidad heart-tongued frog.

Taxonomy

''Phytotriades'' was separated from the genus '' Phyllodytes'' based primarily on genetic evidence; this also solved the unusual, disjunct distribution of the genus (the remaining ''Phyllodytes'' are endemic to eastern Brazil). Nevertheless, the contents of the genus remain to be elucidated. Earlier on, also '' Phyllodytes wuchereri'' was included in the "''Phyllodytes auratus'' group", but the position of this species has not been addressed. At the moment, it is not clear which ''Phyllodytes'' species might eventually end up in this genus. AmphibiaWeb continues to include ''Phytotriades auratus'' in ''Phyllodytes''.

Distribution

''Phytotriades auratus'' is known from the summits of

El Cerro del Aripo El Cerro del Aripo, at , is the highest point in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is part of the Aripo Massif and is located in the Northern Range on the island of Trinidad, northeast of the town of Arima. El Cerro del Aripo lies on the b ...

and

El Tucuche El Tucuche (936 m) is the second highest peak in Trinidad's Northern Range and is noted for its interesting pyramidal shape. It is fabled in Amerindian lore as a sacred mountain. There are Amerindian petroglyphs on a rock outcrop below the mounta ...

, the two highest peaks in

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

, as well as from Cerro Humo on the

Paria Peninsula The Paria Peninsula () is a large peninsula on the Caribbean Sea, in the state of Sucre in northern Venezuela. Geography Separating the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Paria, the peninsula is part of the mountain range, in the Venezuelan Co ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, on the adjacent mainland. There is circumstantial evidence suggesting that the species might also occur (or have occurred) on the

Isla Margarita Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the northeastern coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on the island. History ...

Description

Males grow to and females to in snout–vent length. They have serrated teeth and sharp "fangs", larger in males than in females, on their mandibles. The dorsum is chocolate brown in colour and has two iridescent, golden yellow stripes. Males are territorial and can use their fangs in combat. Males are not known to call (this feature separates ''Phytotriades'' from ''Phyllodytes''). Fecundity is probably low, with maximally 5–6

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 found in a single bromeliad tank. The tadpoles hatch at a length of and grow to .

Habitat and conservation

On Trinidad, the species occurs in montane rainforest and

elfin woodland Dwarf forest, elfin forest, or pygmy forest is an uncommon ecosystem featuring miniature trees, inhabited by small species of fauna such as rodents and lizards. They are usually located at high elevations, under conditions of sufficient air humi ...

at around

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 ...

. On Cerro Humo, the species was found in the elfin forest near the summit of the mountain (). ''Phytotriades auratus'' is closely associated with the giant bromeliad ''

Glomeropitcairnia erectiflora ''Glomeropitcairnia erectiflora'' is a plant species in the genus ''Glomeropitcairnia''. This epiphytic tank bromeliad species is native to Venezuela and to the island of Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major ...

''; also the

s develop in these bromeliads. Trinidadian populations are threatened by the collection of bromeliads and collecting of specimens. The Northern Range Game Sanctuary (also known as the El Tucuche Reserve) provides some protection to one of the populations. On Cerro Humo, a part of the habitat falls within the

Península de Paria National Park The Península de Paria National Park ( es, link=no, Parque nacional ''Península de Paria''), or Peninsula of Paria National Park, Is a national park on Paria Peninsula in Venezuela. Geography The park is located between the Gulf of Paria and t ...

, although enforcement remains limited. Clearance for

slash-and-burn Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area. The downed vegeta ...

plots threatens the potential habitat of the species on the slopes of the mountain. The species appears to be specialized for life in high humidity relatively cool tropical montane forests on isolated mountain crests and peaks. With the threat of global climate change, and specifically warming, temperatures are expected to rise even in mountainous regions. This seems likely to result in the uphill retreat of cool-adapted tropical montane forests and the shrinking of the already small range of this frog.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q28005349 Hylinae Amphibians of the Caribbean Amphibians of South America Monotypic amphibian genera Amphibians of Trinidad and Tobago Amphibians of Venezuela Amphibian genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot