Bromeliohyla melacaena

Bromeliohyla melacaena is a frog. It lives in Honduras.  Scientists have seen it in pine forests between 1370 and 1990 meters above sea level.

The adult male frog is 21.8 - 22.6 mm long from nose to rear end and the adult female frog is 24.2 - 25.9 mm long.  The adult male frog has spikes on its thumbs.

The adult male frogs and adult female frogs look different.  The adult male frogs are light brown with yellow spots with some light green marks.  The bones are white and can be seen through the skin.  The legs are light brown.  The belly is white.  The adult female frog is dark brown with a light brown stripe between the eyes.  The nose is yellow-green in color. The female frog has a lighter belly than the male frog. They eyes are orange with black spots in both male and female frogs.

Scientists think this frog move around at night and hide in bromeliad plants during the day.  They have not seen any tadpoles, but they think the frogs put them in bromeliad plants.

Threats

This frog is in danger of dying out.  Human beings change the places where it lives by cutting down trees to collect wood for building and to make towns, farms, and places for animals to eat grass.  Droughts and floods can kill this frog.  Chemicals meant to kill pests can kill this frog by accident.  So can fertilizers and pollution.  Diseases and ultraviolet light can kill this frog.  For example, the fungal disease chytridiomycosis can kill this frog.

Name

The scientific name of this frog melacaena comes from two Greek language words meaning "black" and "thorn or spine." The scientists named it after the black spike on the male frogs' thumbs.

First paper


References

Category:Frogs of North America