''Pseudis fusca'' is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

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 ...

. 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 else ...

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, and only known few localities. Although it is currently considered a valid species, it has also been treated as a subspecies of ''

Pseudis paradoxa ''Pseudis paradoxa'', known as the paradoxical frog or shrinking frog, is a species of hylid frog from South America. Its name refers to the very large—up to long—tadpole (the world's longest), which in turn "shrinks" during metamorphosi ...

''.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females in snout–vent length. The overall appearance is robust. The head is wider than it is long and the snout is rounded. The tympanum is distinct, elliptical in shape. The eyes are big. The toes are fully webbed. Skin is smooth. Preserved specimens are dorsally brown or grey, with darker markings that do not form any regular pattern.

Habitat and conservation

This aquatic frog occurs in permanent ponds and still-water pools of slow moving streams near larger rivers at an elevation of about above sea level. It can also occur in large water reservoirs. Breeding takes place in pools and streams. It is a locally common species that can suffer 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 ...

caused by agricultural encroachment, infrastructure development, and agricultural pollution. Its presence in protected areas is unknown.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q850542 fusca Amphibians of Brazil Endemic fauna of Brazil Taxa named by Samuel Garman Amphibians described in 1883 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot