Plethodontohyla alluaudi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Plethodontohyla alluaudi |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Microhylidae |
| Subfamily: | Cophylinae |
| Genus: | Plethodontohyla |
| Species: |
P. alluaudi
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| Binomial name | |
| Plethodontohyla alluaudi (Mocquard, 1901)
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| Synonyms | |
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Dyscophus alluaudi Mocquard, 1901 |
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The Plethodontohyla alluaudi is a special kind of frog found only in the southeastern part of Madagascar. It belongs to a group of frogs called Microhylidae, and more specifically, to a subgroup called Cophylinae, which are all unique to Madagascar.
This frog lives on land (it's terrestrial) and often burrows into the ground (it's fossorial). You can find it in rainforests, including forests near the coast. Even though there might be many of these frogs in one area, they can be hard to spot because they are good at hiding!
What's in a Name? How Scientists Classify Frogs
Scientists give every living thing a unique name, like Plethodontohyla alluaudi, so everyone knows exactly which creature they are talking about. But sometimes, these names can change as scientists learn more!
This frog was first described in 1901 by a scientist named Mocquard. He first called it Dyscophus alluaudi. It was found near a place called Fort Dauphin in Madagascar.
Over the years, scientists moved this frog to different groups, or "genera," as they learned more about its features. It was moved to the group Plethodontohyla in 1926. Then, for a short time in 1974, it was put into the group Mantipus, but it was soon moved back to Plethodontohyla.
Why Frog Names Change
Scientists use many clues to figure out how animals are related. They look at how animals are built (their morphology), like their bones (their osteology), and even their DNA (their phylogenetics).
In 2017, a group of scientists led by Bellati did a big study on this frog. They looked closely at its bones and body shape, and compared its DNA to other frogs. They found some surprising things:
- The original frog described in 1901 really did belong in the Plethodontohyla group.
- However, some frogs that scientists thought were P. alluaudi based on their DNA were actually different! These frogs were more like another group called Rhombophryne. This means those frogs were a new, undescribed Rhombophryne species.
- Another frog, Plethodontohyla laevis, which was once thought to be the same as P. alluaudi, was actually a separate species.
Because of these new discoveries, scientists recommended that the Plethodontohyla alluaudi frog should officially be put back into the Plethodontohyla group. This shows how science is always growing, and how new information can change what we know about the world around us!
 | Chris Smalls |
 | Fred Hampton |
 | Ralph Abernathy |
