''Rhaebo olallai'' is a species of
toad
Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands.
A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scient ...
in the family
Bufonidae {{Cat main, Toad
This category contains both species commonly called toads, and the true toads from the family Bufonidae {{Cat main, Toad
This category
Category, plural categories, may refer to:
Philosophy and general uses
*Categorization, cat ...
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 ...
to
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
. Its common name is Tandayapa Andes toad, after its
type locality, Tandayapa, in the
Pichincha Province
Pichincha () is a province of Ecuador located in the northern Sierra region; its capital and largest city is Quito. It is bordered by Imbabura and Esmeraldas to the north, Cotopaxi and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas to the south, Napo and ...
);
the species has not been seen there after 1970, despite search efforts.
[ It is only known from another locality in the ]Imbabura Province
Imbabura () is a province located in the Andes of northern Ecuador. The capital is Ibarra. The people of the province speak Spanish, and a large portion of the population also speaks the Imbaburan Kichwa variety of the Quechua language.
The s ...
of Ecuador (Manduriacu River).[ It has also been reported from one locality on the ]Colombian Massif
The Colombian Massif (from the Spanish Macizo Colombiano), also known colloquially as ''Nudo de Almaguer'', refers to a group of mountains within the Andes of south central Colombia. The massif is mainly within the area of the Cauca, Huila, a ...
, Nariño Department, Colombia, but these have been shown to represent '' Rhaebo colomai''.
Description
''Rhaebo olallai'' are medium-sized toads: males measure and females in snout–vent length. Dorsum is coffee-coloured. The parotoid gland
The parotoid gland (alternatively, paratoid gland) is an external skin gland on the back, neck, and shoulder of toads and some frogs and salamanders. It can secrete a number of milky alkaloid substances (depending on the species) known collectiv ...
s are enlarged and conspicuous. Flanks have conspicuous glands, distributed linearly or irregular patterns.
Habitat and conservation
Its natural habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
are tropical premontane forests of western foothills of the Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
.[ All individuals of the Manduriacu River population were found near small forest streams, perched on branches or leaves, on average 1.4 metres but up to 4 metres over ground.][
It is 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 agriculture and logging,[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q28034692
olallai
Amphibians of the Andes
Amphibians of Ecuador
Endemic fauna of Ecuador
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot