Hyloxalus italoi

species of amphibian

Hyloxalus italoi is a frog. It lives in Ecuador and Peru.[2][3][1]

Hyloxalus italoi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Dendrobatidae
Genus: Hyloxalus
Species:
H. italoi
Binomial name
Hyloxalus italoi
Páez-Vacas, Coloma, and Santos, 2010
Synonyms[2]
  • Hyloxalus italoi Páez-Vacas, Coloma, and Santos, 2010

The adult male frog is 19.1 and 27.0 mm long from nose to rear end and the adult female frog is 21.6 to 30.1 mm long.[3]

The skin of the frog's back helps the frog hide. It is black or brown in color. There are lines down the sides of its body. There are three big marks on the back. The throat and chest are brown in color. The adult male frogs have white marks on the throat and chest. The adult female frog have dull white or brown marks on the throat and chest. The adult male frog has a white belly with brown marks. The female frog has a cream-white belly.[3]

Scientists named this frog italoi for Ítalo G. Tapia. He helped find many frogs.[3]

Scientists found this frog in the hills near the Andes Mountains, between 200 and 1000 meters above sea level. It lives in forests not too high above sea level. Scientists saw them in streams with rocks in them. It is awake during the day.[1]

Many of the places this frog lives are protected parks: Reserva de Bosque Tropical Fundación Hola Vida, Tuntanain Communal Reserve, and Zona Reservada Santiago-Comaina.[1]

The male frog sits on or near rocks and calls to the female frogs. The female frog lays eggs on the dead leaves on the ground. The male frog watches the eggs until they hatch. After they hatch, the adult male frog carries the frog to pools.[1] Scientists saw male frogs of this species do this. One male frog had eight tadpoles on his back at the same time.[3]

The tadpoles are brown in color with big dark marks.[3]

Danger

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Scientists say this frog is not in danger of dying out because there are so many of them alive and because it lives in such a large place. However, in some places, the frog might be in danger because people cut down trees to get wood to build with, make farms, and make places for animals to eat grass.[1]

First paper

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  • Paez-Vacas MI; Coloma LA; Santos JC (2010). "Systematics of the Hyloxalus bocagei complex (Anura: Dendrobatidae), description of two new cryptic species, and recognition of H. maculosus". Zootaxa. 2111: 1–75.

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2018). "Rana Cohete de Pastaza: Hyloxalus italoi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T78968353A89226197. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T78968353A89226197.en. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Frost, Darrel R. "Hyloxalus italoi Páez-Vacas, Coloma, and Santos, 2010". Amphibian Species of the World, an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Diego A. Ortiz; Andrea Vallejo (April 30, 2013). Santiago R. Ron (ed.). "Hyloxalus italoi Páez-Vacas, Coloma, & Santos, 2010". AmphibiaWeb (in Spanish). University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved September 27, 2024.