Peltophryne guentheri
| Peltophryne guentheri | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Bufonidae |
| Genus: | Peltophryne |
| Species: | P. guentheri
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| Binomial name | |
| Peltophryne guentheri (Cochran, 1941)
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| Synonyms | |
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Peltophryne guentheri, the southern crested toad or Gunther's Caribbean toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Hispaniola and found in the lowlands of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.[2]
Description
[edit]Males grow to 74 mm (2.9 in) and females to 101 mm (4.0 in) in snout–vent length.[3] The dorsum has a yellowish tan ground color and is heavily overlaid with a very dark brown to black reticulated pattern.[4]
Habitat and ecology
[edit]Natural habitats of Peltophryne guentheri are dry lowland valleys in both mesic and xeric areas.[1] These frogs have been observed to sit on or near piles of cattle manure. They appear to use a sit-and-wait foraging strategy to catch insects on the manure.[3]
Breeding takes place in temporary pools,[1] including a rainwater-filled roadside ditch.[3] Breeding is triggered by heavy rains, and the breeding season corresponds to the Atlantic hurricane season.[3]
Conservation
[edit]It is threatened by habitat loss caused by livestock grazing and selective logging, and by agricultural pollution.[1] All observations of these animals are from degraded habitats[1][3] where the populations are facing further habitat degradation caused by urban development. A further threat is competition with and predation from introduced cane toads (Rhinella marina) and American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus). Males have also been observed attempting to mate with a male Rhinella marina.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2022). "Peltophryne guentheri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T172918839A3017633. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Frost, Darrel R. (2015). "Peltophryne guentheri (Cochran, 1941)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Landestoy, Miguel A.; Robert Ortíz & Patricia Torres (2015). "Use of cow manure by two sympatric species of toads in the northwestern Dominican Republic" (PDF). IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians: Conservation and Natural History. 22 (2): 83–86.
- ^ Schwartz, A. (1972). "The native toads (Anura, Bufonidae) of Hispaniola". Journal of Herpetology. 6 (3/4): 217–231. doi:10.2307/1562774. JSTOR 1562774.