Rosenberg's tree frog

Rosenberg's treefrog (Hypsiboas rosenbergi), also known as Rosenberg's gladiator frog or Rosenberg's gladiator treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae found in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago and north-western Ecuador.[3] Its name is a testimony to Mr. W. F. H. Rosenberg who collected the type series,[2] and in English, to the aggressiveness of males of the species.[4]

Rosenberg's tree frog
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hylidae
Genus: Boana
Species:
B. rosenbergi
Binomial name
Boana rosenbergi
(Boulenger, 1898)[2]
Synonyms
  • Hyla rosenbergi Boulenger, 1898
  • Hypsiboas rosenbergi (Boulenger, 1898)

Description

Males of B. rosenbergi measure on average 83 mm (3.3 in) in snout–vent length and females 86 mm (3.4 in).[5] It has partly webbed fingers and entirely webbed toes, and large disks in both fingers and toes. Its skin is granulated with small warts, and yellowish, greyish, or reddish in colour, with brown or blackish marbling or spots.[2]

Reproduction

Gladiator frogs are so named because of the aggressive nature of males. Female gladiator frogs only mate with males that provide a nest. Males can acquire a nest either by building one, using a suitable water-filled depression, or conquering another male's nest; the aggressive behaviour of males relates to the third strategy. The way of acquiring a nest depends on local conditions (availability of suitable sites for nest construction or suitable natural depressions) and may differ between populations. Thus, in some populations, males do not fight, possibly reflecting high abundance of suitable nests, and reduced risk of hostile take-overs.[4]

Habitat and conservation

B. rosenbergi inhabits primary and secondary forest, as well as in heavily altered areas such as small strips of trees in pastureland. It is considered an adaptable species that is not facing any significant threats.[1]

References
  1. Solís, F.; Ibáñez, R.; Chaves, G.; Savage, J.; Jaramillo, C.; Fuenmayor, Q.; Lynch, J.; Jungfer, K.; Morales, M. & Bolaños, F. (2008). "Hypsiboas rosenbergi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T55632A11344939. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T55632A11344939.en.
  2. Boulenger, G. A. (1898). "An account of the reptiles and batrachians collected by Mr. W. F. H. Rosenberg in Western Ecuador". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1898: 107–126.
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Hypsiboas pulchellus (Duméril and Bibron, 1841)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  4. Höbel, Gerlinde (2008). "Plasticity and geographic variation in the reproductive ecology of gladiator frogs, particularly Hypsiboas rosenbergi" (PDF). Stapfia. 88: 329–334.
  5. Kluge, A.G. (1981). "The life history, social organisation and parental behaviour of Hyla rosenbergi Boulenger, a nest building gladiator frog" (PDF). Miscellaneous Publications of the Museum of Zoology University of Michigan. 160: 1–170.
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