Cophixalus timidus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cophixalus timidus |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
 |
|
| Cophixalus timidus is only known from Mount Simpson, Papua New Guinea | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Asterophrys timida — Dubois et al., 2021 |
The Cophixalus timidus is a tiny species of frog that belongs to the Microhylidae family. It's also known as the "Timid Mountain Frog." This special frog lives only in New Guinea, specifically on the northern side of Mount Simpson in the southeastern part of Papua New Guinea. When an animal lives only in one specific place, it is called endemic.
What Does the Timid Mountain Frog Look Like?
These frogs are quite small!
- Adult male frogs are about 13.5–17.5 mm (0.5–0.7 in) long.
- Adult female frogs are a bit bigger, measuring about 14.4–21.1 mm (0.6–0.8 in) from their snout (nose) to their vent (bottom).
Their snout looks a little pointed from the side. The tympanum, which is like their eardrum, is small and hard to see. They have a small fold of skin above their eardrum.
Their fingers and toes do not have webs between them. All their fingers and toes, except for the first finger, have special pads at the tips with clear grooves. The first finger might have a very faint groove.
Most of these frogs have a dark brown back, but some can be a yellowish-brown color. Many of them have bright yellow spots, like round marks near their hips and patches in their groin area. Their sides and legs might have black speckles. The underside of their body can be light yellow with gray dust-like spots, or dark gray with light gray flecks. Their eyes are usually bronze with black lines across them, or sometimes tan.
Where Does This Frog Live and How Is It Doing?
The Timid Mountain Frog lives in different types of forests on mountains. You can find it in:
- Thick rainforests at middle elevations.
- Cloud forests higher up the mountains.
- Open areas on the mountains with mixed shrubs and grass.
They live at heights from 1,400–2,500 m (4,600–8,200 ft) above sea level.
Male frogs call out from different spots:
- From the stems and leaves of shrubs.
- Inside the leaves of Pandanus plants.
- In higher areas, they call from low grass clumps near the edge of the forest.
Unlike many frogs, these frogs likely do not have a tadpole stage that swims freely in water. Instead, their babies probably develop directly inside the egg and hatch as tiny frogs.
Even though it lives in a small area, the Cophixalus timidus seems to be common there. However, it faces some dangers. It is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, which means it's at a very high risk of becoming extinct.
- One big threat is frequent fires in its habitat.
- It could also be threatened by a serious frog disease called chytridiomycosis, which affects many frog species around the world.
