''Pleurodema bibroni'' 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 ...

. Its common name is four-eyed frog, although this name can also refer to the genus ''

Pleurodema ''Pleurodema'' is a genus of leptodactylid frogs from South America. They are sometimes known under the common name four-eyed frogs, although this name can also refer to a particular species, '' Pleurodema bibroni''. The common name is a referenc ...

'' in general. The common name refers to two inguinal poison glands that resemble eyes. When threatened, the frog lowers its head and raises its rear. When the frog adopts this posture the poison glands are also raised toward the predator. The predator may also confuse the frog's raised posterior for the head of a larger animal. ''Pleurodema bibroni'' is found in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

and southern

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 ...

. Its 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 are coastal sand plains, open savannas, rocky outcrops, grasslands and open montane habitats between 0 and 900 meters above sea level. Breeding takes place in temporary pools. It is a rare species that occurs in widely scattered populations. 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 encroaching agriculture, human settlements, and pine plantations. It is suspected that the urbanization of some coastal areas is responsible in part for the decline of the species.

References

Pleurodema Amphibians of Brazil Amphibians of Uruguay Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians described in 1838 {{Leptodactylidae-stub