Plectrohyla matudai facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Plectrohyla matudai |
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Plectrohyla brachycephala |
The Plectrohyla matudai, also known as Matuda's spikethumb frog, is a type of frog that belongs to the Hylidae family. You can find this frog in parts of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. It lives along the Pacific slopes, from southeastern Oaxaca through Chiapas in Mexico, and into south-central Guatemala. It also lives in the Grijalva Depression in western Guatemala and on Cerro Azul in northwestern Honduras.
About the Name
This frog was named by a scientist called Norman Edouard Hartweg. He named it after Eizi Matuda, who was a Japanese-Mexican botanist. Eizi Matuda was Norman Hartweg's host when he was working in Chiapas, Mexico.
What Does It Look Like?
Scientists studied a few of these frogs to describe the species. The male frogs were about 3.5 to 4.1 centimeters long from their snout to their rear. The female frogs were a bit bigger, measuring about 3.6 to 4.5 centimeters long.
The frog's head and back are usually a dark grayish-brown color. Its sides are lighter, but they have black spots towards the back. Male frogs have a special feature called a "spikethumb." This is a small, fork-shaped bump on their thumb.
Where It Lives and How We Protect It
Matuda's spikethumb frog lives in different types of forests, including pine-oak forests, cloud forests, and tropical rain forests. These forests are found at high places, between 900 and 2000 meters above sea level. You can usually find these frogs in low plants with lots of fallen leaves, especially near small mountain streams.
This frog is quite common in some areas, especially in Guatemala, where it's one of the most common frogs that breed in streams. However, its home is at risk because of habitat loss. This means that the places where it lives are being destroyed or disturbed.
Another possible threat is a frog disease called Chytridiomycosis. Even though this frog seems to be quite strong against this disease when it's an adult, it's still something scientists watch out for. Luckily, this frog lives in several protected areas, which helps keep it safe.
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