The yellow-striped pygmy eleuth (''Eleutherodactylus limbatus''), also known as the yellow-striped dwarf frog, 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

Eleutherodactylidae The Eleutherodactylidae are a family of direct-developing frogs native to northern South America, the Caribbean, and southernmost North America. They are sometimes known under the common name rain frogs. Formerly the subfamily Eleutherodactylina ...

from closed 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 ...

forests in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. The yellow-striped pygmy eleuth is relatively brightly marked in orange-yellow and among the smallest frogs in the world, up to in snout–to–

vent Vent or vents may refer to: Science and technology Biology *Vent, the cloaca region of an animal * Vent DNA polymerase, a thermostable DNA polymerase Geology *Hydrothermal vent, a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated wate ...

length with males marginally smaller than females. It is part of a closely related Cuban group that contains five additional described species ('' E. cubanus'', '' E. etheridgei'', '' E. iberia'', '' E. jaumei'' and '' E. orientalis'') and at least one undescribed species; most of which are of tiny size, relatively brightly colored and possibly

aposematic Aposematism is the advertising by an animal to potential predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defences which make the prey difficult to kill and eat, such as toxicity, venom, foul taste o ...

(at least ''E. iberia'' and ''E. orientalis'' have

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

toxins in their skin). Among these, the yellow-striped pygmy eleuth is unique in being quite widespread in Cuba, whereas the others all have very small ranges in the eastern part of the island.

Mating calls and reproduction

''E. limbatus'' has a very intense

mating call A mating call is the auditory signal used by animals to attract mates. It can occur in males or females, but literature is abundantly favored toward researching mating calls in females. In addition, mating calls are often the subject of mate choic ...

, but it is brief (6.9 to 24.8 milliseconds) and high-pitched (6.5 to 8.3 kHz), at a rate of 278 per minute. Female frogs have a single ovary and lay one egg at a time, which is subsequently buried in the ground, where it develops quickly.

Habitat

These frogs are found in Cuba at elevations up to 1,150 m above sea level, in closed-canopy mesic and xeric forests. Their distribution is highly fragmented, with the total land area equaling 7,700 mi² (20,000 km²). Within this limited area, though, they are quite numerous.

Mating calls and reproduction

Habitat

References

Further reading