Pleurodema bufonina
SUBFAMILY
Leptodactylinae
TAXONOMY
Pleurodema bufonina Bell, 1843, Puerto Deseado and Río Santa Cruz, Patagonia, Argentina.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
None known.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Males of this toadlike species attain a snout-vent length of 1.8 in (45 mm), and females reach 2.2 in (56 mm). The skin on the dorsum is shagreen and glandular; the belly is smooth. The snout is bluntly rounded, and a distinct but small tympanum is present. The fingers are unwebbed, and the toes are basally webbed. A distinct feature is the pair of large, ovoid, lumbar glands that are about one-third of the length of the body. The dorsum is dull brown with or without darker brown spots and/or a tan middorsal stripe; the venter is creamy tan. The iris is pale bronze with black flecks.
DISTRIBUTION
This is the southernmost frog in the world. Its distribution extends from the Straits of Magellan northward to 36° south latitude in Patagonian Argentina and adjacent Chile; the elevational range is from sea level to 7,500 ft (2,300 m).
HABITAT
This small frog inhabits the harsh semiarid Patagonian scrub and steppe, where it is most common in arroyos and margins of lakes.
BEHAVIOR
Pleurodema bufonina is active by day and night, especially after rains. It seeks shelter under stones and in crevices.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Nothing is known; presumably it feeds on small arthropods.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeding takes place in shallow water in the austral spring. Males do not call; amplexus is inguinal. Eggs are laid in irregular strings in shallow water. Tadpoles attain a maximum length of about 1.4 in (35 mm); the body is ovoid, and the eyes are small and directed dorsolaterally. The caudal musculature is moderately robust, and the dorsal fin does not extend onto the body. The oral disc is small and directed anteroventrally; the jaw sheaths are broadly arched and finely serrate, and there are two anterior and three posterior rows of labial teeth. The body and caudal musculature are grayish brown, and the belly is gray.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
