Oreophrynella nigra
Pebble toad ( Oreophrynella nigra)
The pebble toad ( Oreophrynella nigra) is a South American species of toad of the genus Oreophrynella. The specific epithet nigra, Latin for black refers to the color.
Features
The males of the pebble toad reach a snout-vent length from 16.5 to 23.5 mm, females from 20.4 to 30.0 mm. It is on the upper side ( dorsal) and lower side ( ventral) black and no drawing. Preserves the color is uniformly dark brown or black with slightly lighter belly. The skin is soft, sometimes wrinkled and provided with tubercles. Her head is slightly wider than long, flattened snout in profile, the snout short and steep edge. The area between the nostrils is concave ( curved inward ). Arms and legs are thin, his hands flat covered with webbed and with tubercles. The fingertips are enlarged. The toes are short and shallow, three toes are joined at the base. The tympanum, the membrane of the ear is not visible, teeth are not present. The tongue is oval and front mounted.
Dissemination
The pebble toad is endemic to the Guiana highlands in Venezuela. It has been found only in the state of Bolívar on the tepuis Kukenán and Yuruaní and lives there in 2300 to 2700 meters above sea level.
Habitat and behavior
The pebble toad is a diurnal rock dweller. She lives in an open area on bare limestone on the edge of vegetation patches with shrubs, flowering plants and bromeliads and feeds on insects such as mites, ants and beetles. The toad counts themselves prey to tarantulas, before which it protects itself by its coloration and the below -described escape behavior.
Reproductive behavior is not yet fully understood. Depending on the observation Community clutches are made with 8 to 35 eggs or single nest under moss and stones with groups of 8-13 eggs. In any case, the eggs have about 5 to 6 mm in diameter and there is a direct development without tadpole stage with offset development time instead.
Special
The name pebble toad (English: Pebble Toad ) is derived from their escape behavior from grave danger. You can almost Curled spherical, and if it is located on an elevated, mostly stony plain, like a pebble dropped into the depths and thereby escape their enemies.
In the BBC documentary Our Life ( 2011; Engl. One Life ) the escape behavior of the pebble toad was discussed briefly.
Endangering
The distribution of pebble toad is limited to only two localities. Even if there is no current threat, for example, fires can threaten the stock. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN) classifies the pebble toad therefore, despite the stable population trends, as threatened ( Vulnerable, VU) a.