Craugastor andi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Craugastor andi |
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Eleutherodactylus andi Savage, 1974 |
The Craugastor andi is a type of rain frog that belongs to the frog family Craugastoridae. This special frog has not been seen since 1990, which means it might be gone forever. It lives in the Caribbean side of Costa Rica in the mountains and hills of the Central Mountain Range and the far northern Cordillera de Talamanca. It can also be found in the very northwest part of Panama. People sometimes call it the Atlantic robber frog. In Spanish, it's known by common names like rana de hojarasca (leaf litter frog), ranita (little frog), or sapito (little toad).
Contents
About the Name
How the Frog Got Its Name
This frog was first described in 1974 by a scientist named Jay M. Savage. He first named it Eleutherodactylus andi. Later, in 2006, scientists decided to move it to a new group, or genus, called Craugastor. So now, its full scientific name is Craugastor andi.
The first frog of this type that scientists studied was found in Costa Rica, high up in the mountains, about 1,150 meters (3,770 feet) above sea level.
Why "Andi"?
When Jay M. Savage named this frog, he wanted to honor his friend and fellow scientist, Dr. Andrew Starrett. The name andi doesn't have a special meaning in Latin. Savage simply chose it as a unique combination of letters to dedicate to his friend.
What Does It Look Like?
Female Craugastor andi frogs are quite big for a frog, growing up to 80 millimeters (about 3 inches) long from their snout to their rear end. Males are smaller, reaching about 55 millimeters (about 2.2 inches).
Body Features
This frog has a narrow head and a long, pointed snout. Its fingers and toes have only a little webbing between them. The tips of its third and fourth fingers have enlarged, disc-like pads, which help it grip surfaces. The other fingers and all the toes have smaller pads.
The skin on its back can be smooth or have a few small bumps, but it's never completely bumpy. Adult male frogs have special rough patches on their thumbs, called nuptial pads, which help them hold onto females during mating. They also have vocal slits, which are openings that help them make calls.
Colors and Patterns
The back of the Craugastor andi is usually dark brown. Sometimes, it has a thin, light stripe running down the middle of its back. Its belly is white, but it can have yellow or reddish hints, especially on the underside of its thighs. The belly is also covered with dark spots.
The frog's groin (the area where its legs meet its body) and the back of its thighs are chocolate brown with bright yellow dots or wide stripes when the frog is alive. Its throat is dark brown or black, with a lighter stripe. The frog's eye has a coppery gold color with a dark brown line going through the middle. When alive, these frogs are much more colorful than when they are preserved.
Where Does It Live?
As of 2002, the Craugastor andi frog has been found in several mountain ranges in Costa Rica, including Guanacaste, Tilarán, Volcánica Central, and the northern part of Talamanca. It was also seen in Panama, specifically along the Río Claro in Bocas del Toro Province, before 2010.
How It Lives
Its Home Environment
The Craugastor andi frog naturally lives in tropical, wet rainforests found in the mountains. These forests often have plants called bromeliads, and the frogs are usually found close to streams. They live at elevations from 560 meters (about 1,837 feet) to 1,500 meters (about 4,921 feet) above sea level. Most have been found between 1,000 and 1,200 meters high.
Daily Life and Habits
This frog is nocturnal, meaning it is active at night. It probably lives in trees, too. You can often find these frogs near streams. They have also been found high up in trees, sometimes as high as 5 meters (about 16 feet), living in the water pools that collect in the center of bromeliads (plants that grow on other plants).
Male frogs call from along the streams to attract females. Females then come down from the trees to mate. The frog's call is described as a "deep glug" sound, repeated several times. Breeding happens during the first heavy rains of the wet season. Female frogs carrying eggs have been found in bromeliads.
A unique thing about this frog is its "direct development." This means that the eggs are laid on dry land and hatch directly into tiny froglets, completely skipping the tadpole stage that most frogs have.
Health Concerns
Scientists believe this frog might be vulnerable to a deadly fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. This fungus causes a disease that has harmed many amphibian populations around the world.
Protecting the Craugastor andi
The Craugastor andi frog was once thought to live only in Costa Rica. In 2004, and again in 2008, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) listed it as "critically endangered" because its population has dropped so much. It is considered a threatened species in Costa Rica and is protected by several wildlife laws there.
This frog used to be seen regularly in collections from nature parks in Costa Rica. However, in the late 1980s, its numbers suddenly went down, and it disappeared from these collections. The last time this frog was officially recorded was in 1990. Even though people have searched for it, it has not been seen since August 2007. It hasn't been seen in Cascajal, San Jose Province, since 1972.
Because the frog has disappeared from areas that are otherwise well-protected nature reserves, scientists think the fungal disease chytridiomycosis (caused by the fungus mentioned earlier) might be the reason for its decline. This disease has affected many other frogs in similar habitats. The IUCN also mentions that climate change might be another factor impacting the frog.
The Craugastor andi frog used to live in places like the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, the Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve, and the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica. Sadly, there are no ex situ populations of this species, meaning no groups of these frogs are being kept and bred in zoos or special centers to help save them.
See also
In Spanish: Craugastor andi para niños
