Monte Iberia eleuth
Monte Iberia frogs ( Eleutherodactylus iberia )
The Monte Iberia frogs ( Eleutherodactylus iberia ) is a genus in the Antilles - Pfeiffrösche ( Eleutherodactylus ) belonging Froschlurch. He lives endemic to a narrow area of rainforest on the Caribbean island of Cuba.
With approximately one centimeter of length was the Monte Iberia Fröschchen since its discovery in addition to the Brazilian semi- toad Brachycephalus didactylus long time as the smallest known amphibian world and at the same time as one of the smallest land vertebrates ( Tetrapoda ) of the earth. Late 2011 and early 2012, several even smaller species of the genus Paedophryne including Paedophryne were described from the family -mouthed, amauensis with only 7 mm head-body length.
Features
This Cuban dwarf frog mature reaches a head-body length of about ten millimeters - males remain probably somewhat lower, while females are up to 10.5 mm long. Your skin is the upper side slightly wrinkled and does not dorsolateral glandular ridges on. The head is as long as wide and approximately as wide as the hull. The tympanic membrane, closely behind the eyes equipped with horizontal pupils, is round in males and is larger than in the females whose tympanic membrane is also higher than wide. Above that is a little flashy skin fold. The finger and toe ends are rounded and very thin. A vomerine dentition is - unlike larger species of the genus - not available.
The animals have a dark brown ground color, which is broken up by a vividly contrasting line pattern. This strip runs from top viewed along the body contours of the tip of the snout over the eyes dorsolateral to the hind leg approaches. Also found on the arms and legs such a striking bright Längslinierung. Their coloring shimmers depending on the body region between golden yellow ( on the eyelids, arms ) and white (abdomen, legs). The deep purple-colored ventral side is separated by an irregular white line from the dark brown flank coloration.
Distribution and habitat
The Monte Iberia frogs lives only in a small rainforest area in the east of the island of Cuba ( Holguin province ). The holotype locality is - Arroyo Sucio ( Anacleto ) Arriba on the western slope of Monte Iberia, at 600 m above sea level. Another described Fund point is near Nibujón at sea level. The area is protected as " Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt".
The species lives in the litter layer of the forest between fall foliage and roots and feeds on small invertebrates, preferably mites and ants. It was both daytime and observed at night. The area is characterized by a high annual rainfall of > 1600 mm and a year-round high humidity.
Reproduction and Development
How characteristic of other tendency to miniaturization Froschlurcharten, is the mating call of the males from very high frequency sounds - in this case, about 5.78 kHz. Also typical is that a direct development takes place within the deposited eggs on land, without an interim aquatiles tadpole is. The females of the Monte Iberia Fröschchens place apparently from only a single egg. Maybe they watch this also.
Skin toxins
The Monte Iberia frogs can secrete as well, such as the poison dart frog skin toxins. It fat-soluble alkaloids have been found in the skin of the frog, including six Pumiliotoxine and two indolizidines. These protect him against bacteria and fungi and against Fressfreinde. The vivid colors of the stripes along the body contours to signal the enemies of Fröschchens inedible. This makes it possible for him also to go during the day in search of food. Being seen is not a disadvantage in this case.
The Eleutherodactylidae the family to which the Monte Iberia frogs heard, is thus one of the five different frog families in which there are skin toxins. The frogs can but the toxins can not synthesize itself, but pick them up with the food. Analyses of stomach contents of the Monte Iberia Fröschchens have shown that it is mainly fed by mites. In the specimens examined, mites were more than 70 percent of the food. A lot of it belongs to the group of horn mites, some species of which can produce a pumiliotoxin as it is discharged from the Monte Iberia frogs through the skin.
Outer systematics
The species-rich family of Südfrösche ( Leptodactylidae ), to the West Indies Pfeiffrösche ( Eleutherodactylus ) were calculated for a long time, is now regarded as paraphyletic due to genetic studies and is therefore split into several monophyletic groups. Eleutherodactylus is now - provided with a number of other genres into its own family Eleutherodactylidae - with about 180 instead of about 700 species formerly not quite as comprehensive as earlier. Within the newly formed genus Eleutherodactylus several subgenera also be differentiated; the Monte Iberia Fröschchen is counted in the subgenus Euhyas.
Endangering
Eleutherodactylus iberia, due to its limited distribution area in Cuba sensitive to adverse environmental changes. Despite the formal protection status by the " Alexander von Humboldt National Park " of habitat due to deforestation ( timber and land reclamation ) is highly endangered. In addition, extraction of mineral resources such as chromium and nickel, and may in future burden of environmental toxins such as pesticides. The first discovered in 1996 Monte Iberia frogs - with " the smallest frog in the world" - by the IUCN therefore as " critically endangered " ( critically endangered ) substance.
Swell
The article in the version of 2 / 3 June 2009, unless indicated by other individual evidence, based on the following website:
- Style portrait at AmphibiaWeb ( Engl )