Biology:Thoropa
| Thoropa | |
|---|---|
| |
| Thoropa miliaris | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Cycloramphidae |
| Genus: | Thoropa Cope, 1865 |
| Type species | |
| Cystignathus missiessii Eydoux and Souleyet, 1842
| |
| Species | |
|
7 species (see text) | |
Thoropa is a genus of frogs in the family Cycloramphidae.[1][2] They are endemic to eastern and southeastern Brazil. They are sometimes known as river frogs.[1]
Description, ecology, and behavior
Thoropa are associated with rocks and have cryptic coloration. Their size ranges from small to medium, 28–102 mm (1.1–4.0 in) in snout–vent length.[3] They occur at elevations up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level;[3] Thoropa miliaris and Thoropa taophora can even live on rocky marine shores, foraging in the intertidal zone.[4][5] Male Thoropa are associated with wet rock faces, whereas the females seem to range more widely.[6]
In species where reproduction is known, males are territorial—suitable wet rock faces are a scarce resource. Furthermore, mature male Thoropa feature characteristic clusters of dark spines on the inner portions of the hand. It appears that these are associated with male-male combat, probably in conjunction with territorial disputes. Scratch marks in males, but not in females, support this interpretation.[6]
The eggs are laid on rocks with a thin layer of water. Tadpoles are semiterrestrial and have a depressed shape, long tail, and bulging eyes.[3]
Male T. taophora frogs mate exclusively and repeatedly with two females per season in a polygynous system in which the semiterrestrial tadpoles from both females share the same freshwater seep.[7] The females have a dominance hierarchy, and the males mate more with the dominant female.[7]
Species
The genus contains the following species:[1][2]
- Thoropa bryomantis Assis, Lacerda, Guimarães, Peixoto, Luna, and Feio, 2021
- Thoropa lutzi Cochran, 1938
- Thoropa megatympanum Caramaschi and Sazima, 1984
- Thoropa miliaris (Spix, 1824)
- Thoropa petropolitana (Wandolleck, 1907)
- Thoropa saxatilis Cocroft and Heyer, 1988
- Thoropa taophora (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1923)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Thoropa Cope, 1865". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/Amphibia/Anura/Cycloramphidae/Thoropa.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Cycloramphidae". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2018. http://www.amphibiaweb.org/lists/Cycloramphidae.shtml.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Nunes-de-Almeida, Carlos Henrique Luz (2015). Phylogenetic reconstruction based on internal and external morphology of the genus Thoropa Cope, 1865 (Anura, Cycloramphidae) (Master thesis). Universidade Estadual de Campinas.
- ↑ Abe, A. S.; Bicudo, J. E. P. W. (1991). "Adaptations to salinity and osmoregulation in the frog Thoropa miliaris (Amphibia, Leptodactylidae)". Zoologischer Anzeiger 227: 313–318.
- ↑ Brasileiro, Cinthia A.; Martins, Marcio; Sazima, Ivan (2010). "Feeding ecology of Thoropa taophora (Anura: Cycloramphidae) on a rocky seashore in southeastern Brazil". South American Journal of Herpetology 5 (3): 181–188. doi:10.2994/057.005.0303. http://eco.ib.usp.br/labvert/Thoropa-2010.pdf.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cocroft, R. B.; Heyer, W. R. (1988). "Notes on the frog genus Thoropa (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae) with a description of a new species (Thoropa saxatilis)" (in English). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 101: 209–220. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/46389.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 de Sá, F.P.; Consolmagno, R.C.; Muralidhar, P.; Brasileiro, C.A.; Zamudio, K.R.; Haddad, C.F.B. (2020). "Unexpected reproductive fidelity in a polygynous frog". Science Advances 6 (33): eaay1539. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aay1539. PMID 32851153. Bibcode: 2020SciA....6.1539D.
Wikidata ☰ Q2148585 entry
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