Eleutherodactylus pinchoni facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eleutherodactylus pinchoni
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Eleutherodactylidae
Genus:	Eleutherodactylus
Subgenus:	Eleutherodactylus
Species:	E. pinchoni
Binomial name
Eleutherodactylus pinchoni Schwartz, 1967
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The Eleutherodactylus pinchoni, also known as the Grand Cafe robber frog, is a tiny frog that belongs to the Eleutherodactylidae family. This special frog lives only in Guadeloupe, an island in the Caribbean. You can find it on Basse-Terre Island. It got its common name because it was first discovered near a place called "Grand Café."

What's in a Name?

The second part of the frog's scientific name, pinchoni, is a tribute to Father Robert Pinchon. He was a French priest and professor who moved to Martinique in 1945. Father Pinchon helped a scientist named Albert Schwartz a lot during his trips to study animals.

Meet the Grand Cafe Robber Frog

The Grand Cafe robber frog is quite small! Male frogs are about 14.4 to 16.0 mm long from their snout to their rear. Female frogs are a bit bigger, measuring 15.2 to 20.2 mm. The smallest female found carrying eggs was 16.6 mm long.

This frog has a pointed snout. You can easily see its eardrum, called the tympanum, which is almost perfectly round. Its fingers are long and thin, without any webbing between them. However, they do have small, round pads at the tips. The toes are a medium length and have just a tiny bit of webbing.

The frog's back is covered in very fine bumps, making it feel a bit rough. Its back is a rich, dark wood-brown color. These frogs have different patterns on their backs.

• Many have two wide V-shaped marks, called chevrons. They often have a diagonal bar on their side, extending from the second chevron down to their leg area.
• Some frogs also have two chevrons, but the one closer to their rear cuts off a reddish-brown patch on their lower back.
• Instead of chevrons, some have two reddish-brown stripes running along their sides.
• A few frogs have these side stripes plus a pale, uneven stripe down the middle of their back.

The frog's belly is orange. However, this orange color can be almost completely covered by dark brown spots, blotches, or tiny dots.

Where Does it Live and Why is it in Danger?

The Grand Cafe robber frog lives in moist forests and rainforests. You can find them from sea level all the way up to 1250 meters high. They can also survive in forests that have grown back after being cut down. These frogs live on the ground.

Male frogs call out from the ground or from low plants. The female frogs lay their eggs on the ground or sometimes on bromeliad plants, which are plants that grow on trees.

Sadly, the areas where Eleutherodactylus pinchoni lives are getting smaller. The quality of their forest homes is also getting worse. They face several threats:

• Pollution: Pesticides used on banana farms can harm them.
• New Predators: Animals like rats, cats, and mongooses have been brought to the island and hunt these frogs.
• Other Frogs: Another type of frog, Eleutherodactylus johnstonei, has been introduced and seems to be taking over the Grand Cafe robber frog's living spaces.