Boophis occidentalis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Boophis occidentalis |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Mantellidae |
| Genus: | Boophis |
| Species: |
B. occidentalis
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| Binomial name | |
| Boophis occidentalis Glaw & Vences, 1994
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Meet the Western Bright-Eyed Frog, also known as Boophis occidentalis! This amazing frog is part of the Mantellidae family. It lives only on the island of Madagascar, which means it is endemic there.
These frogs make their homes in different places. You can find them in warm, dry forests, near rivers, in grassy fields, and even in urban areas. Sadly, their homes are shrinking because of habitat loss, which means they are a threatened species.
Contents
All About the Western Bright-Eyed Frog
How Big Are They?
Adult Boophis occidentalis frogs are usually about 5.5 centimeters (a little over 2 inches) long from their snout to their bottom. They weigh around 11 grams, which is about the same as two quarters!
What Do They Look Like?
These frogs come in two main colors:
- Some are a bright, light green.
- Others are brownish, sometimes with hints of olive green.
No matter their main color, both types have yellowish undersides. The inside of their legs often has a reddish color. Brown frogs are more common than green ones.
If you look closely at a green frog:
- Its back is green.
- Its sides are lighter, fading to pink or white near its belly.
- It might have tiny, light greenish-white spots near its back legs.
- Their hands and feet are yellowish.
- Both male and female frogs have yellowish-white upper lips.
- The skin between their toes (called webbing) is red or purple.
- Their eyes are bronze-yellow or golden-yellow with a light blue ring around the pupil.
Brown frogs have lighter sides than their backs. Their reddish foot webbing is not as bright as on the green frogs.
There are also some small differences between male and female frogs:
- Green males have tiny, dark bumps on their backs, making that area look darker.
- Female frogs have yellowish stripes above their eyes that males don't have.
Tadpoles and Their Growth
When these frogs are young, they are called tadpoles. When a tadpole turns into a frog (this is called metamorphosis), it's already quite big! Young frogs are about 2 to 3 centimeters long. This means they are already about half the size of an adult frog.
Being larger when they become frogs helps them a lot. It means they can eat bigger insects and don't need as much energy to grow up and have their own babies. Since they live near rivers that always have water, their tadpole stage can last longer. This gives them more time to grow bigger before they become frogs.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Calling for a Mate
When it's time to find a mate, male Boophis occidentalis frogs gather together. They start calling out after the sun sets and continue late into the night. They usually sit in shallow, slow-moving pools of water along the edges of streams. Sometimes, they even call from trees!
Their calls are a low, rumbling sound. They often take turns calling, like they are talking to each other. Males in the water sometimes wrestle each other before mating.
Mating and Eggs
These frogs all reproduce at the same time. When a female frog arrives and goes into the water, a male frog will quickly grab onto her. Sometimes, several other males will also try to join the pair!
The male frog keeps his body very close to the female's. Just seconds after they mate, the female lays her eggs. The eggs immediately stick in a single layer to nearby stones underwater.
The eggs are about 2.2 to 2.5 millimeters wide. When they are first laid, they are black with a large white spot. But within a few hours, they turn completely black as they start to develop.
Frog Calls: What Do They Sound Like?
Male Boophis occidentalis frogs make calls at different times. Their calls are not very musical and don't have a clear pattern. Each call is made up of 26 to 34 short sounds, called pulses. Each whole call lasts about 262 to 362 milliseconds (less than half a second).
The short pulses within the call last only 3 to 5 milliseconds, with tiny pauses of 4 to 8 milliseconds in between. The very last pulse in a call is special. It's louder, sounds more like a "click," and lasts a bit longer (5 to 18 milliseconds). These frogs make about 90 to 109 pulses per second, and their calls have a frequency of 900 to 2000 Hertz.
Their calls are quite similar to another frog species called Boophis albilabris. However, there are some differences:
- Boophis albilabris calls have fewer pulses.
- Each Boophis albilabris call lasts longer.
- Their "click" pulse is more separate and longer.
- The pulses are repeated slower, and the frequency of their calls is higher.
Sources
- Glaw, F., Vences, M. & Cadle, J. 2004. Boophis occidentalis 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 23 July 2007.
- Andreone, F., Vences, M., Guarino, F.M., Glaw, F. & J.E. Randrianirina (2002): Natural history and larval morphology of Boophis occidentalis (Anura: Mantellidae: Boophinae) provide new insights into the phylogeny and adaptive radiation of endemic Malagasy frogs). – J. Zool., 257: 425–438.
- Andreone, F., Mercurio, V., Mattioli, F. & Razafindrabe, T.J. (2007) Size at metamorphosis of Boophis occcidentalis Glaw & Vences, 1994 in an arid environment of central-southern Madagascar. Salamandra, 43, 119–121.
