Pristimantis simoteriscus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pristimantis simoteriscus |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Strabomantidae |
| Genus: | Pristimantis |
| Subgenus: | Pristimantis |
| Species: |
P. simoteriscus
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| Binomial name | |
| Pristimantis simoteriscus (Lynch, Ruíz-Carranza & Ardila-Robayo, 1997)
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| Synonyms | |
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The Pristimantis simoteriscus is a special type of frog. It belongs to the Strabomantidae family. This frog lives only in Colombia. You can find it in the central mountains called the Cordillera Central. It lives in areas like Tolima, Quindío, and Caldas Departments. Its name, simoteriscus, means "small simoterus". This is because adult P. simoteriscus frogs look like young Pristimantis simoterus frogs.
What This Frog Looks Like
These frogs are quite small. Adult males are about 23 to 25 millimeters long. Adult females are a bit bigger, measuring 26 to 31 millimeters. That's about the length of a few paper clips!
Their snout, or nose area, is short and rounded. They have a clear eardrum, called a tympanum. The skin on their back has large, flat bumps, like warts. Their belly skin feels rough and bumpy.
Their fingers and toes have slightly wider tips. The tips on their outer fingers are the largest. Their toes have small fringes on the sides. But they do not have any webbing between their toes.
The frog's back can be pale yellowish-green or reddish-brown. It might also have black spots on its sides. Its throat and belly are greenish-yellow. These areas often have cream or light brown spots. The frog's iris, which is the colored part of its eye, is bronze. It has tiny brown flecks and lines.
Where It Lives and Why It Needs Help
The Pristimantis simoteriscus frog lives in high mountain areas. These places are called sub-páramo and páramo habitats. They live at very high elevations, from about 3,350 to 3,800 meters above sea level. That's higher than many clouds!
You can find these frogs hiding under rocks and logs. They also like to hide in the roots of grasses. They often live among special plants called Espeletia.
This frog is not very common. It is considered an endangered species. Its home is shrinking because of human activities. Farmers use the land for growing crops. They also use it for cattle grazing. Sometimes, people burn the habitat to help new grasses grow. This burning destroys the frog's home. Luckily, some of its living area is inside the Las Hermosas National Natural Park. This park helps protect the frogs and their habitat.
 | Chris Smalls |
 | Fred Hampton |
 | Ralph Abernathy |
