Boophis popi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Boophis popi |
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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. popi
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| Binomial name | |
| Boophis popi Köhler, Glaw, Rosa, Gehring, Pabijan, Andreone, and Vences, 2011
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| Approximate distribution (Madagascar)
Range |
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Boophis popi is a special type of frog that lives in the forests of Madagascar. It is a night-active animal, meaning it is awake and busy when most creatures are sleeping. This frog is easy to spot because of its bright red eyes. It also has a unique bumpy pattern on its back.
Boophis popi is usually brown and gray. It has thin legs and makes a special pulsating sound when it calls. This frog is a bit bigger than other similar frogs in its family. Scientists first described this species in 2011. It was named after a company called "pop-interactive GmbH," which helps support nature research.
About Boophis popi
B. popi is one of many species in a group of frogs called Boophis, also known as skeleton frogs. It belongs to a smaller group within Boophis called the B. goudoti group.
Scientists Jörn Köhler, Frank Glaw, and others officially described this frog in 2011. They published their findings in a paper about two new bright-eyed treefrogs from Madagascar. The frog was named after a German company, "pop-interactive GmbH." This company has helped a lot with research and protecting different kinds of animals and plants. Genetic studies show that B. popi is closely related to two other frog species: Boophis fayi and Boophis boehmei.
What Does It Look Like?
B. popi has very striking eyes. The outer part of its iris (the colored part of the eye) is bright red. The inner part is beige with a brown, vein-like pattern. A black ring surrounds this, and there's a touch of blue around the very edge of the iris.
The frog's body is mostly brown. It has several black and beige spots. Its sides also have brown and yellow markings. The throat and chest are beige and gray, while its belly is light brown with small brown spots. Its legs are gray with brown patterns.
When scientists preserve these frogs, their colors tend to become lighter. The frog's throat and chest feel smooth. Its belly, however, feels bumpy. It also has small white bumps around its cloaca, which is where waste leaves the body.
Its arms are quite thin. The lower parts of its arms have small fringes of skin. There's also a pointed flap of skin on its elbow. The fingers have a specific length pattern: the first finger is shortest, then the second, then the fourth, and the third finger is the longest. The second finger is much shorter than the fourth.
B. popi also has thin hind legs. There's a small skin flap on its heel. It has five toes, and their length pattern is similar to the fingers: the first toe is shortest, then the second, then the third and fifth (which are about the same length), and the fourth toe is the longest. Female frogs are usually bigger than males.
Even though B. popi looks similar to other Boophis frogs, there are some key differences. It looks most like B. axelmeyeri. However, B. popi is smaller and has a less pointed snout when you look at it from above. It is usually larger than B. boehmei.
Compared to B. rufioculis, B. popi has smaller bumps around its cloaca and shorter hind legs. A unique feature of B. popi is the distinct raised, net-like patterns on its back. Other similar frogs do not have these. Scientists place it in the Boophis group because of a special bone between its last two fingers and toes. Males also have special pads for mating, and they do not have certain glands on their thighs.
How It Behaves
B. popi is a night-active tree frog. It spends its time on plants near slow-moving streams. It is most active during the rainy season in Madagascar.
The calls of B. popi are made up of two short series of pulsating notes. One series has three notes, and the other has two notes. Each note lasts for a very short time, about 18 to 29 milliseconds. The pauses between the notes are also short, ranging from 97 to 120 milliseconds.
The pitch of its call is similar to B. boehmei and B. quasiboehmei. However, B. popis call is slightly lower in pitch. This is expected because it has a larger body size. It's important to know that the calls of frogs in the B. goudoti group are very similar. So, B. popis call isn't completely unique among its close relatives.
Where It Lives
B. popi can be found in the mountain rainforests in central Madagascar. Sadly, the number of these frogs is going down. Many things threaten them. These include new buildings, farming, mining, and cutting down trees. Fires, new species brought into their habitat, and diseases also cause problems for B. popi.
