by Kurt Kunze
Red-Eyed Stream Frog, Duellmanohyla uranochroa
(Photo: ©2009 Eduardo Boza Oviedo)
Family: | Hylidae (Treefrogs) | |
Subfamilae: | Hylinae (Treefrogs) | |
Origin: | Costa Rica, Panama | |
Adult Snout-to-Vent Length: | Male: 20-30 mm / 0.8-1.2 inches (females slightly larger than males) | |
IUCN (Red List) Status: | Critically Endangered (CR) | |
Similar Species: | Duellmanohyla rufioculis, Rufous-Eyed Stream Frog Agalychnis callidryas, Red-Eyed Leaf Frog Agalychnis saltator, Parachuting Red-Eyed Leaf Frog |
Meet the Frog Part 4: the Red-Eyed Stream Frog, Duellmanohyla uranochroa
This species is not the Red-Eyed Leaf Frog (or Red-Eyed Tree Frog). Once very common, Duellmanohyla uranochroa is now one of the most critically endangered frog species on the planet. In the late 1980s many different frog species in Central America crashed and went into severe decline. Most of those species were found in montane cloud forest; some are now presumed extinct. At the time, the reason for this mass die-off was a mystery, but ten years later a possible culprit was discovered: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a type of primitive fungus first discovered in Australia (you can read more about this terrible disease in the FrogForum article about the Panamanian Golden Frog). The disease was found to be responsible for amphibian extinctions and declines around the world. The disease was thought to be responsible for the major decline in frog numbers in the 1980s and since then it has been discovered in Central American amphibian populations. Fortunately, measurements of light absorption in current populations show some promise in the frogs' ability to absorb light, heating up just enough to kill off the fungus. Studies have shown some limited recovery in the population. Like most frogs, D. uranochroa is nocturnal. During the day it can be found hiding out among the leaves of bromeliads. At night it gathers along montane streams in Costa Rica and Panama. Breeding takes place in quiet pools during May and June.
References
1. Morelle, Rebecca First-known footage of rare frog 2008 BBC News. BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | First-known footage of rare frog.
2. Schoville, Sean Duellmanohyla uranochroa Red-eyed Stream Frog 2008 Museum of Vertebrate Zoology; University of California, Berkeley. http://amphibiaweb.org/.
Other Resources
AmphibiaWeb Record: Duellmanohyla uranochroa
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