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 authorCommon name
Oreophrynella cryptica Señaris, 1995
Oreophrynella dendronastes Lathrop & MacCulloch, 2007Waterfall toad
Oreophrynella huberi Diego-Aransay and Gorzula, 1990Bolivar bush toad
Oreophrynella macconnelli Boulenger, 1900MacConnell's bush toad
Oreophrynella nigra Señaris, Ayarzagüena, and Gorzula, 1994Pebble toad
Oreophrynella quelchii Boulenger, 1895Roraima bush toad
Oreophrynella seegobini Kok, 2009
Oreophrynella vasquezi Señaris, Ayarzagüena, and Gorzula, 1994
Oreophrynella weiassipuensis Señaris, DoNascimento, and Villarreal, 2005

References
  1. "Oreophrynella Boulenger, 1895 | Amphibian Species of the World". research.amnh.org. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  2. "Bufonidae". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  3. 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.
  4. Vitt, Laurie J. & Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. p. 166.
  5. 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.
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