Pithecopus ayeaye

Pithecopus ayeaye, also known as the reticulated leaf frog[4] and reticulate leaf frog, is a species of frog in the family Phyllomedusidae. It is endemic to Brazil.[1][3] P. ayeaye is found in the transition zone between cerrado (tropical woodland-savanna) and Atlantic semi-deciduous forest,[5] laying its eggs on leaves above streams or pools so the tadpoles, when hatched, fall into the water below. This species is under threat from habitat loss resulting from mining activity and fires, and is also affected by pollution from mining and pesticides. Its restricted range is likely to make it particularly vulnerable to these threats.[1]

Pithecopus ayeaye
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Phyllomedusidae
Genus: Pithecopus
Species:
P. ayeaye
Binomial name
Pithecopus ayeaye
Synonyms[3]
  • Phyllomedusa ayeaye (B. Lutz, 1966)

Description

P. ayeaye is a medium-sized frog that can grow between 28.7 mm to 40 mm long and weigh from 1.89 g to 7.5 g.[6][2] The dorsal side is a bright green color, and the sides of its body and appendages have a distinctive network of black lines with circular reddish to orange spots. The ventral side is a black to gray color.[2] Tadpoles have long, oval bodies with flattened sides. The end of the tail arcs upwards. Their heads, with large eyes, and bodies are longer than their tails. Their dorsal surface is dark, while their ventral surface is a light gray color.[2]

Habitat

The reticulated leaf frog is native to South America and lives in the Espinhaco, Mantiqueira, and Canastra mountain ranges located in Brazil.[7] The topography includes mountains with rivers running between them. Streams run through the semideciduous forests, which provide water, shade, and protection.[8]

Call

Male frogs produce multiple calls that for specific information or one call that conveys different information. The advertisement call is used to get the attention of females and warn other males who are nearby. The release call is also used when males try to mate with other males or when they are fighting.[8] One study found that at a breeding site, most males use short notes when beginning their calls. As more males join in, they use more complex calls, making short and long notes.[8]

Reproduction

The breeding season is from October to January. Males sit on vegetation beside a stream and call to females. Most P. ayeaye breed on nights with sufficient rainfall to increase the likelihood that fertilization will occur. The tadpoles hatch during November to December. They mature from October to May, and fully mature by June.[9] Female P. ayeaye prefer to deposit their eggs on plants in the families Melastomataceae and Solanaceae. The leaves of those plants have trichomes on them which keep the eggs from drying out and adhering to the leaf.[6]

Threats

P. ayeaye is currently under threat due to habitat loss. Human-related threats include mining for materials in Brazil, fires that ravage the landscape, and pollution from industries and military operations. The pollutants in the water causes a decline in the population.[1] Ecotourism and urbanization also affect the breeding areas of this species. Non-human threats include climate change and erosion, which causes streams to be filled with sediment.[4]

Conservation status

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the reticulated leaf frog as critically endangered. However, the latest assessment of the species was done on January 7, 2009 and published in 2016.[1] Since then, P. ayeaye was found in other locations in Brazil and is no longer declared critically endangered by the Brazilian List of Endangered Species in 2014.[4]

Conservation efforts

While currently no specific conservation measures target this colourful amphibian, its occurrence in protected areas, such as the Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra in the state of Minas Gerais and Parque Estadual das Furnas do Bom Jesus in the state of São Paulo, may provide it with some level of protection.[1]

References
  1. Ulisses Caramaschi; Carlos Alberto Gonçalves da Cruz; Raphael Lima; Reuber Brandão (2016). "Pithecopus ayeaye". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T55839A107295713. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T55839A107295713.en. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  2. Lutz, Bertha (1966). "Pithecopus ayeaye, a new Brazilian hylid with vertical pupils and grasping feet". Copeia. 1966 (2): 236–240. doi:10.2307/1441130. JSTOR 1441130.
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2020). "Pithecopus ayeaye Lutz, 1966". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  4. de Magalhães, Rafael Félix; Lemes, Priscila; Camargo, Arley; Oliveira, Ubirajara; Brandão, Reuber Albuquerque; Thomassen, Hans; Garcia, Paulo Christiano de Anchietta; Leite, Felipe Sá Fortes; Santos, Fabrício Rodrigues (2017-09-20). "Evolutionarily significant units of the critically endangered leaf frog Pithecopus ayeaye (Anura, Phyllomedusidae) are not effectively preserved by the Brazilian protected areas network". Ecology and Evolution. 7 (21): 8812–8828. doi:10.1002/ece3.3261. PMC 5689491. PMID 29177033.
  5. Araujo, Cybele De Oliveira; Condez, Thais Helena; Haddad, Célio F. B. (2007-06-01). "Amphibia, Anura, Phyllomedusa ayeaye (B. Lutz, 1966): distribution extension, new state record, and geographic distribution map". Check List. 3 (2): 156. doi:10.15560/3.2.156.
  6. Borges, Marilia M; Nali, Renato C; Fiorillo, Bruno F; Prado, Cynthia PA (30 August 2018). "Site fidelity, reproductive behavior and investment in the Brazilian reticulate leaf frog, Pithecopus ayeaye Lutz, 1966" (PDF). Herpetozoa. 31 (1/2): 61–68.
  7. Baêta, Délio; Caramaschi, Ulisses; Cruz, Carlos Alberto G.; Pombal, José P. (2009-09-10). "Phyllomedusa itacolomi Caramaschi, Cruz & Feio, 2006, a junior synonym of Phyllomedusa ayeaye (B. Lutz, 1966) (Hylidae, Phyllomedusinae)". Zootaxa. 2226 (1): 58–65. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2226.1.5. ISSN 1175-5334.
  8. Nali, Renato C.; Borges, Marília M.; Prado, Cynthia P.A. (August 2015). "Advertisement and release calls of Phyllomedusa ayeaye (Anura: Hylidae) with comments on the social context of emission". Zoologia (Curitiba). 32 (4): 263–269. doi:10.1590/s1984-46702015000400001. ISSN 1984-4689.
  9. de Oliveira, Francisco Fonseca Ribeiro (2017-03-27). "Mating behaviour, territoriality and natural history notes of Phyllomedusa ayeaye Lutz, 1966 (Hylidae: Phyllomedusinae) in south-eastern Brazil". Journal of Natural History. 51 (11–12): 657–675. doi:10.1080/00222933.2017.1296196.
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