''Synapturanus zombie'' is a South American species of frog in the family

Microhylidae The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread family of frogs. The 683 species are in 63 genera and 11 subfamilies, which is the largest number of genera of any frog family. Evolution A molecular phylo ...

Taxonomy

''Synapturanus zombie'' was discovered by Raffael Ernst, a German herpetologist. He named the frog "zombie" because he thought other researchers looked like zombies after digging the frogs out of the ground. It was described in 2021 by Antoine Fouquet. ''S. zombie'' is part of an eastern

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

of ''

Synapturanus ''Synapturanus'' is a genus of Microhylidae, microhylid frogs. They are found in northern South America. Common name disc frogs has been coined for the genus. Because of their fossorial life style, their natural history is poorly known. Ecology ...

'', which also includes '' S. salseri'', '' S. mirandaribeiroi'', '' S. ajuricaba'', and '' S. mesomorphus'', as well as some undescribed but suspected species. This eastern clade typically has a more robust

humerus The humerus (; ) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extremity consists of a roun ...

and a broader

snout A snout is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw. In many animals, the structure is called a muzzle, rostrum, or proboscis. The wet furless surface around the nostrils of the nose of many mammals is c ...

than species in the western clade.

Description

''Synapturanus zombie'' has an average snout-vent length of 39 mm in males (range ). Females are slightly larger, with a 40 mm average SVL (range ). This makes it the largest known species of ''

'' frogs. It has a pointed nose and a narrow mouth. The frog is medium brown on the top, and light brown on the bottom. Many orange spots are found on the skin of the frog. The

gland In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland). Structure De ...

ular supra pad, present in males only, is a translucent white. Yellow ovaries are able to be seen through the translucent skin of female specimens. Males emit advertisement calls from underground tunnels during and after heavy rainfall. These tunnels, also called galleries, are spaced a few meters apart from each other. The mode of reproduction of the species are unknown, but likely similar to those of other ''Synapturanus'' frogs.

Habitat

''Synapturanus zombie'' live in well-drained soil in forests in

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

. They are

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, as well as

fossorial A fossorial () animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily, but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees. Prehistoric eviden ...

Conservation

''S. zombie'' has not been assessed by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

. It is only known to live in six groups of populations in French Guiana, and one additional group in

Amapá Amapá () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is in the northern region of Brazil. It is the second least populous state and the eighteenth largest by area. Located in the far northern part of the country, Amapá is bordered clockwise by Fr ...

, northern Brazil. Some of these groups are in protected areas. The study in which the species was first described recommended the species be given the rating of "

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

", because of "the uncertainties regarding its distribution and population status".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q109264766

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

Frogs of Brazil Amphibians of French Guiana Amphibians described in 2021 Taxa named by Antoine Fouquet Taxa named by Philippe J.R. Kok