''Peltophryne guentheri'', the southern crested toad or Gunther's Caribbean toad, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
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 ...
. 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 ...
to
Hispaniola and found in the lowlands of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Description
Males grow to and females to in snout–vent length.
The
dorsum has a yellowish tan ground color and is heavily overlaid with a very dark brown to black reticulated pattern.
Habitat and ecology
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 ...
s of ''Peltophryne guentheri'' are dry lowland valleys in both
mesic and
xeric
Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (ancient Greek xērós, “dry") shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this h ...
areas.
These frogs have been observed to sit on or near piles of cattle manure. They appear to use a sit-and-wait foraging strategy to catch insects on the manure.
[
Breeding takes place in temporary pools,][ Breeding is triggered by heavy rains, and the breeding season corresponds to the Atlantic hurricane season.][
]
Conservation
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 livestock grazing and selective logging, and by agricultural pollution
Agricultural pollution refers to biotic material, biotic and abiotic byproducts of agriculture, farming practices that result in pollution, contamination or degradation of the environment and surrounding ecosystems, and/or cause injury to human ...
.[ where the populations are facing further habitat degradation caused by urban development. A further threat is competition with and predation from introduced cane toads ('']Rhinella marina
The cane toad (''Rhinella marina''), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad native to South and mainland Central America, but which has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania ...
'') and American bullfrogs (''Lithobates catesbeianus
The American bullfrog (''Lithobates catesbeianus''), often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is a large true frog native to eastern North America. It typically inhabits large permanent water bodies such as swamps, po ...
''). Males have also been observed attempting to mate with a male ''Rhinella marina''.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q28008679, from2=Q28031038
guentheri
Endemic fauna of Hispaniola
Amphibians of the Dominican Republic
Amphibians of Haiti
Amphibians described in 1941
Taxa named by Doris Mable Cochran
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot