Oreophrynella
Oreophrynella, commonly known as bush toads, is a genus of true toads native to the tepuis of southern Venezuela and adjacent Guyana.[1][2] The distribution of some species is restricted to a couple of tepuis or even a single tepui, as in the case of Oreophrynella weiassipuensis, which occurs on Wei-Assipu-tepui.[3]
| Oreophrynella | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Oreophrynella quelchii | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Bufonidae |
| Genus: | Oreophrynella Boulenger, 1895 |
| Type species | |
| Oreophryne quelchii Boulenger, 1895 | |
| Species | |
|
See table. | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Oreophryne Boulenger, 1895 — junior homonym of Oreophryne Boettger, 1895 | |
Description
Species of the genus Oreophrynella are small frogs, less than 26 mm (1.0 in) in snout–vent length. They are characterized by opposable digits of the foot, dorsal skin that bears tubercules, and direct development[3] (i.e., there is no free-living larval stage[4]). The presence of opposable digits, unique among bufonids, in combination with an extension of the interdigital integument and the relative length/orientation of the digits, is likely to be an adaptation to facilitate life on rocky tepui summits and an exaptation to arboreality[5] The genus also displays cranial simplification in the form of cranial fontanelles and absence of the quadratojugal, which may be driven by a reduction of developmental costs, increase in flexibility, and reduction of body weight.[5] The cranial simplification combined with the shortening of the vertebral column and shift towards a partly firmisternal girdle may be adaptations to the peculiar tumbling behaviour displayed by Oreophrynella.[5]
Species
The following species are recognised in the genus Oreophrynella:[1]
| Binomial name and author | Common name |
|---|---|
| Oreophrynella cryptica Señaris, 1995 | |
| Oreophrynella dendronastes Lathrop & MacCulloch, 2007 | Waterfall toad |
| Oreophrynella huberi Diego-Aransay and Gorzula, 1990 | Bolivar bush toad |
| Oreophrynella macconnelli Boulenger, 1900 | MacConnell's bush toad |
| Oreophrynella nigra Señaris, Ayarzagüena, and Gorzula, 1994 | Pebble toad |
| Oreophrynella quelchii Boulenger, 1895 | Roraima bush toad |
| Oreophrynella seegobini Kok, 2009 | |
| Oreophrynella vasquezi Señaris, Ayarzagüena, and Gorzula, 1994 | |
| Oreophrynella weiassipuensis Señaris, DoNascimento, and Villarreal, 2005 | |
References
- "Oreophrynella Boulenger, 1895 | Amphibian Species of the World". research.amnh.org. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- "Bufonidae". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- Señaris, Josefa Celsa; DoNascimiento, Carlos; Villarreal, Osvaldo (2005). "A new species of the genus Oreophrynella (Anura; Bufonidae) from the Guiana highlands". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (São Paulo). 45 (6): 61–67. doi:10.1590/S0031-10492005000600001.
- Vitt, Laurie J. & Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. p. 166.
- Kok, Philippe J. R.; van der Velden, Milan A. J.; Means, D. Bruce; Ratz, Sebastian; Josipovic, Iván; Boone, Matthieu; McDiarmid, Roy W. (2020). "Coping with the extremes: comparative osteology of the tepui-associated toad Oreophrynella and its bearing on the evolution of osteological novelties in the genus". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 190 (1): 114–139. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz172.
External links
- eol - Encyclopedia of Life taxon Oreophrynella at http://www.eol.org.
- ITIS - Integrated Taxonomic Information System on-line database Taxon Oreophrynella at https://www.itis.gov/index.html. (Accessed: May 1, 2008).
- GBIF - Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxon Oreophrynella at http://data.gbif.org/welcome.htm