Darwin's Frog

For other uses, see Rhinodermatidae.

Darwin's Frog
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Rhinodermatidae
Genus:	Rhinoderma
Species:	R. darwinii
Binomial name
Rhinoderma darwinii Duméril & Bibron, 1841

Darwin's Frog (Rhinoderma darwinii) is a frog native to the forest streams of Argentina and Chile. It was first described by French Zoologist André Marie Constant Duméril and his assistant Gabriel Bibron, and is named after Charles Darwin who discovered it in Chile during his world voyage on the HMS Beagle.

The most striking feature is the way the tadpoles are raised—inside the vocal sac of the male.

Characteristics

The frog is brown or green with a size of 2.5–3.5 cm. Its front feet are not webbed, but some of the toes on the back feet usually are. It eats insects and other arthropods.

Darwin's frog not only has to hunt, but also must hide from predators wanting to eat it. Its most reliable technique to avoid its hunter is camouflage. It lies on the ground looking like a dead leaf until the predator passes by.

Mouth brooding

The female lays about 30 eggs and then the male guards them for about two weeks, until they hatch. Then the male takes all the survivors and carries around the developing young in his vocal pouch. The tadpoles develop in their baggy chin skin, feeding off their egg yolk. When the tiny tadpoles have developed (about half an inch) they hop out and swim away.

References

• Crump, M.L. (2003). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2nd ed., Vol. 6 Amphibians, 175, Gale.
• Duellman, W.E., ed. (1999). Patterns of Distribution of Amphibians: A Global Perspective, 325, The Johns Hopkins University Press.
• Duméril, A.M.C. and G. Bibron (1841). Erpétologie Générale; ou, Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles, 8:659, Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/101245#page/679/mode/1up
• Frost, D.R., ed. (1985). Amphibian Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographical Reference, 551, Allen Press, Inc. and the Association of Systematics Collections, Lawrence, Kansas.
• Úbeda et al. (2004). Rhinoderma darwinii. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 8 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is vulnerable
• All About Frogs: Species Caresheets : Information on Specific Breeds of Frogs and Toads
• Strange Breeding: Darwin's Frog