Colostethus pratti explained

Colostethus pratti is a species of frog in the family Dendrobatidae. It is found in the northwestern Colombia (Antioquia, Chocó, Córdoba, and Risaralda Departments) and Panama, possibly also in southeastern Costa Rica.[1] [2] It is sometimes known as the Pratt's rocket frog.[1] Colostethus pratti is named after Antwerp Edgar Pratt, an explorer who collected the type series.[3] [4]

Description

Colostethus pratti is a small member of its genus; both males and females grow to about 24mm snout–vent length. It is brown above with characteristic dull paired dorsolateral stripes.[3] [5]

Reproduction

Reproduction of Colostethus pratti has been observed in captivity.[6] Males have a loud, peeping advertisement call. They appear to establish small territories and can be aggressive against each other, engaging in "wrestling" bouts. Amplexus has not been observed but is presumably cephalic as in related species. Egg clusters contain 8-20 eggs. They are deposited on top of leaves or within plastic hiding places, primarily during a simulated wet season. Eggs hatch in 1–2 weeks. After hatching, the female transports the tadpoles to a body of water, carrying them on her back, sometimes for several days. No further parental care is provided. Tadpoles metamorphose 8–13 weeks after hatching. Newly metamorphosed froglets are 6mm8mm in length. Some males start calling as soon as six months post-metamorphosis.[6]

Habitat and conservation

Colostethus pratti is a common frog. Its natural habitats are humid lowland and montane forests where it occurs on the forest floor and along rocky sections of forest streams. Agriculture, logging and pollution are threats to this species, although it is not considered threatened as a species due to its wide distribution and presumably large total population.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Colostethus pratti (Boulenger, 1899) . Frost, Darrel R. . 2014 . Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 . American Museum of Natural History . 3 December 2014.
  2. Web site: Colostethus pratti (Boulenger, 1899) . Acosta-Galvis, A.R. . 2014 . Lista de los Anfibios de Colombia V.04.2014 . www.batrachia.com . 3 December 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402114205/http://www.batrachia.com/orden-anura/dendrobatidae/colostethus-pratti/ . 2 April 2015 . dead .
  3. Boulenger . G. A. . 1899 . Descriptions of new batrachians in the collection of the British Museum (Natural History) . Annals and Magazine of Natural History. Series 7 . 3 . 273–277 . 10.1080/00222939908678122.
  4. Book: Beolens . Bo . Watkins . Michael . Grayson . Michael . The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Exeter, England: Pelagic Publishing Ltd.. 2013. 978-1-907807-44-2.
  5. Savage . Jay M. . 1968 . The dendrobatid frogs of Central America . Copeia . 1968 . 4 . 745–776 . 1441845 . 10.2307/1441845.
  6. Hill, R. L. . J. B. Kaylock . R. W. Gagliardo . E. K. Timpe. E. Griffith . H. Ross . amp . 2011 . Observations on the captive reproduction of Colostethus pratti . Herpetological Review . 42 . 3 . 365–367.