''Physalaemus ephippifer'' 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

Leptodactylidae The southern frogs form the Leptodactylidae, a name that comes from Greek meaning a bird or other animal having slender toes. They are a diverse family of frogs that most likely diverged from other hyloids during the Cretaceous. The family has u ...

. It is found in central and eastern

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 ...

ian Amazonia, the Guianas ( Guyana,

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

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 ...

), and southern

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

( Bolívar state). It might not occur in French Guiana.

Description

''Physalaemus ephippifer'' grow to in snout–vent length. The body is slightly elongated with a pointed snout. The tympanum is barely visible. The back is typically smooth but has warts in some specimens; there are few longitudinal ridges. The dorsal colouration is light to reddish brown, with a variable degree of greyish markings. There is a black stripe running from the tip of the snout to the eye, continuing as a black band on the flank. The ventral colour is creamy or yellowish. The legs are barred with dark brown and there are red or orange patches in the armpits and groin. The fingers and toes are unwebbed.

Habitat and ecology

''Physalaemus ephippifer'' is a common, adaptable species that benefits from human disturbance. It is living on the forest edge, in clearings, and in other anthropogenic habitats. In Suriname it is a common species of the

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

belt and the interior areas. The species breeds in temporary pools during the late wet season. The female makes a foam nest by secreting a fluid from the

oviduct The oviduct in mammals, is the passageway from an ovary. In human females this is more usually known as the Fallopian tube or uterine tube. The eggs travel along the oviduct. These eggs will either be fertilized by spermatozoa to become a zygote, ...

which the male whips into a foam with his hind legs. The eggs are hidden in the foam and hatch in about three days. After two or three days more the

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found ...

s emerge from the foam and subsequently develop in the water. It is thought that the foam deters predators, including older tadpoles of the same species.

Status

This frog has a wide range and is a common species with a large total population. It is an adaptable species and is found in areas disturbed by humans, and no particular threats have been recognised. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature 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 natur ...

has rated its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. Th ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q542901 ephippifer Amphibians of Brazil Amphibians of French Guiana Amphibians of Guyana Amphibians of Suriname Amphibians of Venezuela Amphibians described in 1864 Taxa named by Franz Steindachner Taxonomy articles created by Polbot