Bromeliohyla melacaena facts for kids
Bromeliohyla melacaena is a special kind of frog that lives only in Honduras. Scientists have seen this frog in pine forests. It lives high up in the mountains, between 1,370 and 1,990 meters above sea level.
What the Frog Looks Like
These frogs are quite small. Adult male frogs are about 21.8 to 22.6 millimeters long. This measurement is taken from their snout (nose) to their vent (bottom). Female frogs are a bit bigger, measuring 24.2 to 25.9 millimeters long.
Male and female frogs look quite different from each other. This is called sexual dimorphism.
- Male frogs are light brown with yellow spots and some light green marks. They have white bones that you can see through their skin. Their legs are light brown, and their belly is white. Male frogs also have small spikes on their thumbs!
- Female frogs are dark brown. They have a light brown stripe between their eyes. Their snout, or nose area, is yellow-green. Female frogs usually have a lighter belly than the males.
Both male and female frogs have orange eyes with black spots.
Life and Habits
Scientists think this frog is nocturnal. This means it is active at night and sleeps during the day. During the day, it hides inside plants called bromeliads. These plants often grow on trees and collect water in their leaves.
No one has ever seen the tadpoles of this frog. However, scientists believe the young frogs grow inside the water collected in bromeliad plants. They also think these frogs are ovoviviparous. This means the eggs hatch inside the mother's body, and then live young are born.
Why This Frog Is in Danger
Sadly, the Bromeliohyla melacaena frog is an endangered animal. Many things threaten its survival:
- Losing Homes: People are cutting down forests to build cities or create farms. This means the frogs lose their natural homes.
- Weather Changes: The frogs suffer from droughts (very dry periods) and floods (too much water). Climate change also makes their environment harder to live in. They are also more sensitive to the sun's UV rays.
- Pollution: Chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers, along with other pollutants, can harm or kill these frogs.
- Diseases: This frog can get sick from diseases like chytridiomycosis. This is a serious fungal disease that affects amphibians worldwide.
Name Meaning
The scientific name for this frog, melacaena, comes from two ancient Greek words. "Mela" means "black," and "caena" means "thorn" or "spine." Scientists chose this name because of the black spikes found on the male frogs' thumbs.
See also
In Spanish: Isthmohyla melacaena para niños
