''Physalaemus nattereri'' (common name: Cuyaba dwarf frog) is a frog native to central and southeastern

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 eastern

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

and

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Description

It has two "false eyes" on its rear. The 3–4 cm frog lifts its rear end when threatened, startling predators. If a predator does not get fooled by the eyespots, and decides to move closer, the frog can produce an unpleasant secretion that comes from glands located in the eyespots. Similar display is known from '' Physalaemus deimaticus''. File:Eupemphix nattereri01a.jpg File:Eupemphix nattereri.jpg

Reproduction

A study in Bodoquena (in the

Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul () is one of the Midwestern states of Brazil. Neighboring Brazilian states are (from north clockwise) Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay, to the southwest, and ...

state of Brazil) found ''Physalaemus nattereri'' to be an explosive breeder, with most of the reproductive activity occurring within a few days after heavy rainfall. Males formed choruses to attract females but they could also actively search for females. Egg clutches were deposited in the margins of temporary ponds. Several pairs may use the same foam nest. Mean clutch size was about 3800 eggs. Females were larger (mean snout–vent length , range 43–56 mm; mean body mass 19.3 g) than males (, range 43–55 mm; 11.4 g). Ovaries made about 22% of female body mass; fecundity increased with the female body size. File:Group of tadpoles of Physalaemus nattereri.jpg, Tadpoles File:Eupemphix nattereri03.jpg, eggs

Habitat and conservation

''Physalaemus nattereri'' is a

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 ...

and seasonal frog. It inhabits savannas and grasslands in the

Cerrado The ''Cerrado'' (, ) is a vast ecoregion of tropical savanna in eastern Brazil, particularly in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Minas Gerais, and the Federal District. The core areas of the Cerrado biome are t ...

biome and is found on the ground near standing and temporary waterbodies, such as ponds and swamps. It could be locally threatened by spread of intensive agriculture. It is present in several protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q27914557 nattereri Amphibians of Bolivia Amphibians of Brazil Amphibians of Paraguay Amphibians described in 1863 Taxa named by Franz Steindachner