Craugastor rugosus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Craugastor rugosus |
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The Craugastor rugosus is a type of rain frog that belongs to the Craugastoridae family. These frogs are found in Costa Rica and the southwestern part of Panama. They might also live in southern Nicaragua.
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What is a Rain Frog?
This frog is sometimes called the ranita de hojarasca in Spanish. This means "little leaf litter frog," which describes where it lives. Another English name for this frog is the Veragua robber frog. This name comes from a region called Veragua in Panama. However, the frog doesn't actually live in that specific area today. The name was given a long time ago when scientists thought this frog was part of a different group.
How Scientists Name Frogs (Taxonomy)
Scientists use a system called taxonomy to name and group living things. The Craugastor rugosus has had many different names over the years.
When it was first discovered in the 1870s, a scientist named Wilhelm Peters gave it the name Hylodes rugosus. Later, other scientists like Edward Drinker Cope and Leonhard Stejneger studied similar frogs. They gave them new names like Lithodytes pelviculus and Lithodytes florulentus.
Over time, scientists realized that many of these names were for the same type of frog. They moved them into different genera (groups of species). For a while, this frog was known as Eleutherodactylus rugosus.
In 1975, a scientist named John D. Lynch grouped many of these frogs together under the name Eleutherodactylus biporcatus. This name was used for several decades.
However, in 2002, scientists Savage and Myers found that the original E. biporcatus frog was from Venezuela. This meant the name didn't fit the frogs in Central America. So, they brought back the older name, E. rugosus, for this frog.
Today, the Craugastor rugosus is part of the Craugastoridae family. It used to be in the Leptodactylidae family, but scientists changed its classification in 2014.
What Does This Frog Look Like?
Craugastor rugosus are fairly large rain frogs.
- Female frogs can be up to 69 mm (2.7 in) long from snout to vent (the opening where waste leaves the body).
- Males are smaller, up to 44 mm (1.7 in) long.
- They have a large head and black eyes.
- Their upper eyelids have bumps and warts.
- There are ridges, like small crests, just behind their eyes.
- Their back (called the dorsum) is covered in warts, making them look a bit like a toad.
- They have hourglass-shaped ridges on their upper back with lighter stripes.
- Their fingers and toes do not have webbing.
Colors and Patterns
The frog's back is usually dark brown, dark grey, or black. Its belly (called the ventral surface) is mottled brown with white and red spots. The undersides of their thighs can be yellowish or orange. The inner thighs have bright scarlet red and black stripes. These black stripes continue onto the top of the thighs. The groin area has bright white and black marks.
Young frogs (juveniles) have slightly different colors. Their dorsal warts are white at first, but they get darker as the frog grows. Their inner thighs have white and black stripes, and the undersides of their legs and groin are orange-red.
Scientists believe this frog probably does not make a mating call.
Similar Frogs
It's easy to tell the Craugastor rugosus apart from most other Craugastor species in the same area because its head is wider than it is long. The most similar frogs are C. megacephalus and C. gulosus, but both of these are much larger.
Where Does This Frog Live?
The Craugastor rugosus is mainly found in eastern Costa Rica. It also lives in the lowlands and slopes facing the Pacific Ocean, from the Carara National Park in Costa Rica down to southwestern Panama.
It's possible that these frogs live even further north and east than we currently know. This is because their history of naming has been confusing. Specimens have been found in places like the Limón Province in Costa Rica and near the Tule River in Nicaragua.
In Costa Rica, you can find this frog in places like Carara National Park, the Fila Chonta mountains, the Osa Peninsula, and near the town of Quepos.
What Does This Frog Do? (Ecology)
This frog lives in warm, humid places. It likes tropical lowland rainforests and moist premontane forests. It can also be found in secondary forests (forests that have grown back after being cut down), plantations, and areas where the forest has changed a lot.
You'll usually find the Craugastor rugosus among the leaf litter on the forest floor. It has been seen hopping around during the day. It lives at altitudes from 10 m (33 ft) to 1,220 m (4,000 ft) above sea level.
This frog is likely an ambush predator. This means it waits quietly and then suddenly attacks its prey. It mostly eats beetles, but it might also hunt lizards and other frogs.
Is This Frog Protected? (Conservation)
In 2004, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) said that the Craugastor rugosus was threatened by habitat loss. This means that the places where it lives are disappearing.
However, there are protected areas where these frogs live. These include:
- Carara National Park
- Río Piro Wildlife Refuge
- Corcovado National Park
- Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge
- Historically, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve area.
See also
In Spanish: Craugastor rugosus para niños
