Xenohyla

Xenohyla is a genus of tree frogs in the family Hylidae. They live in deserts and other dry places in the middle of Brazil, not far from the Atlantic Ocean.  Xenohyla eugenioi lives in the State of Bahia and the State of Sergipe, and Xenohyla truncata lives in the State of Rio de Janeiro. These frogs have strong bodies, wide flat heads, short faces, short front legs, and a body that looks short from above. They live near bromeliad plants, where they hide during the day. They eat the insects that also live in the plant. They lay eggs in temporary pools of water that are formed by rainwater. Both species are orange or brown with a white stripe down the edges of their backs. X. truncata loses this stripe when it becomes an adult but X. eugenioi keeps it as an adult.

Xenohyla truncata is the only known amphibian that eats fruit. It finds the fruit and swallows it whole. The seeds from the fruit come out of its body in its waste, which helps the plant spread. This frog also eats insects and other animals without bones.  How much depends on the time of year.  It eats more fruits when the plants grow fruit and more small animals when they do not. Scientists do not know whether or not Xenohyla eugenioi eats fruit too.

The genus name comes from Ancient Greek xeno (ξένος meaning "strange" or "alien") and hyla (ὕλη meaning "wood" or "forest") which is used for tree frogs, so the genus name means "strange tree frog." Xenohyla truncata means "strange truncated tree frog" after the short shape of its body. Xenohyla eugenioi is named after Brazilian amphibian scientist Eugênio Izecksohn who wrote the first formal paper about the genus and type species. The name means "Eugênio's strange tree frog."

Species
There are two species in this genus:
 Xenohyla eugenioi 
 Xenohyla truncata  — Izecksohn's Brazilian treefrog

References

Category:Frogs of South America