''Pristimantis frater'' 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

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 Colombia and occurs on the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Oriental in the

Norte de Santander North Santander (Spanish: Norte de Santander) () is a department of Northeastern Colombia. It is in the north of the country, bordering Venezuela. Its capital is Cúcuta, one of the country's major cities. North Santander is bordered by Venez ...

, Boyacá, Casanare, Cundinamarca, and

Meta Department Meta () is a departments of Colombia, department of Colombia. It is close to the geographic center of the country, to the east of the Andean mountains. A large portion of the department, which is also crossed by the Meta River, is covered by a ...

s, as well as in the

Serranía de la Macarena Serranía de la Macarena is an isolated mountain range located in the Meta Department, Colombia. It was named after the Virgin of Hope of Macarena. The mountains are separated by about at their northern extreme from the East Andes. The range ...

(Meta Department). The population in the Serranía de la Macarena might represent a distinct species. Common name Meta robber frog has been coined for it.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females, based on a single specimen, 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 head is as wide as the body and wider than it is long. The snout is subacuminate in dorsal view and round in lateral profile. The tympanum is prominent. The fingers have narrow lateral keels and the outer ones have also large pads. The toes have lateral keels and enlarged pads. The dorsum is pale brown with brown markings. Canthal stripe is usually absent. The venter has fine brown peppering; the throat is darker. Males have a sub

gular Gular is of or pertaining to the throat, and may more specifically refer to: * Gular scales in reptiles * Gular scute, or gular projection, in turtles and tortoises * Gular fold in lizards * Gular skin, or gular sac, in birds and some gibbons Ot ...

vocal sac The vocal sac is the flexible membrane of skin possessed by most male frogs and toads. The purpose of the vocal sac is usually as an amplification of their mating or advertisement call. The presence or development of the vocal sac is one way o ...

Habitat and conservation

''Pristimantis frater'' occur in premontane humid forests at elevations of or

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 ...

, depending on the source. They can be found on low vegetation and have also been recorded from secondary forest. Reproduction is direct (i.e., without free-living larval stage). This species is common, but it suffers from

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 ...

and degradation caused primarily by agriculture (crops and cattle ranching), but also by oil exploration and road infrastructure. It has been found in areas where ''

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ''Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis'' ( ), also known as ''Bd'' or the amphibian chytrid fungus, is a fungus that causes the disease chytridiomycosis in amphibians. Since its discovery in 1998 by Lee Berger, the disease devastated amphibian popul ...

'' is prevalent, but so far this species has tested negative. It is present in the

and

Tamá National Natural Park The Tamá National Natural Park ( es, Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Tamá) is a national park located in the Tamá Massif of the Andean Region of Colombia, between the municipalities Toledo and Herrán, in the department of Norte de Santander, i ...

s. It might also be present in the immediately adjacent El Tamá National Park in Venezuela, but there are no records yet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pristimantis Frater

frater Frater is the Latin word for brother. *In Roman Catholicism, a monk who is not a priest Frater may also refer to: People Surname * Alexander Frater (1937–2020), New Hebrides travel writer and journalist * Anne Frater, Scottish poet from Baybl ...

Amphibians of the Andes Amphibians of Colombia Endemic fauna of Colombia Taxa named by Franz Werner Amphibians described in 1899 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot