Sarcohyla labeculata facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sarcohyla labeculata |
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The Sarcohyla labeculata is a type of frog that belongs to the Hylidae family, also known as tree frogs. This special frog lives only in one place: the Sierra Mixe mountains in Oaxaca, Mexico. When a species lives only in one specific area, it is called endemic.
Scientists confirmed this frog as its own unique species in 2018. Before that, it was thought to be part of another frog group. A common name for this frog is the Mixe streamside treefrog.
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Meet the Mixe Streamside Treefrog
Have you ever wondered how big these frogs get? Male Mixe streamside treefrogs can grow to about 59 millimeters (2.3 inches) long. Females are a little bigger, reaching up to 61 millimeters (2.4 inches) from their snout to their rear end.
What Does It Look Like?
This frog has a short snout that looks rounded from above. From the side, it appears flat at the end. It has a clear eardrum, but a fold of skin above it hides the top part.
Its fingers are long and thin, with fairly large pads at the ends. There is only a tiny bit of webbing between its fingers. The toes are also long and thin, with pads almost as big as the finger pads. Its toes have some webbing, but not a lot.
Colors and Patterns
Male Mixe streamside treefrogs usually have yellowish-tan skin on their upper bodies. They often have small black marks on their lower backs. A black stripe runs from their snout, through their eye, and along the fold of skin above their eardrum. This stripe continues down their side to their groin. This dark stripe is usually solid, but sometimes it might be broken up into long, horizontal spots.
The underside of the frog is mostly creamy white. Its throat and chest often have dark, wavy lines. The frog's eyes are a beautiful gold, pale copper, or bronze color, with black patterns that look like a net.
Where Do Mixe Streamside Treefrogs Live?
The Mixe streamside treefrog makes its home along small streams and wet areas. These places are found in cloud forests and areas where forests are growing back. They live at elevations between 1,100 and 1,896 meters (about 3,600 to 6,200 feet) above sea level.
Protecting Their Home
This frog is known from only a few places, which means it's quite rare. Its home is threatened by people clearing forests and cutting down trees. This happens to make space for small farms and new homes.
Another possible danger is a frog disease called chytridiomycosis. This disease affects amphibians. Scientists have seen tadpoles with missing or deformed mouthparts in one group of these frogs, which could be a sign of this disease. Protecting their forest homes is very important for the survival of these unique frogs.
