Pristimantis tayrona

Pristimantis tayrona is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. It is endemic to the northwestern Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.[1][3][4] The specific name tayrona refers to the pre-Columbian Tairona culture. Lynch and Ruíz-Carranza suggest that this species might have been a model for the gold frogs unearthed from archaeological sites in the area.[2]

Pristimantis tayrona
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Craugastoridae
Genus:	Pristimantis
Species:	P. tayrona
Binomial name
Pristimantis tayrona (Lynch & Ruíz-Carranza, 1985)
Synonyms
Eleutherodactylus tayrona Lynch & Ruíz-Carranza, 1985[2]

Description

Males measure 15–25 mm (0.59–0.98 in) and females 23–30 mm (0.91–1.18 in) in snout–vent length. The head is narrower than the body, and the tip of snout is pointed. The tympanum is distinct. The skin of the dorsum is smooth to shagreened, with many small, short ridges. Colouration is reddish-brown above, with slightly darker flanks. The face is dark brown, and the vocal sac is dirty yellow. The venter is pale yellow bronze washed with grey. The iris is reddish-brown above and grey below. When present, the vertebral stripe is dull cream to dull orange. All fingers have expanded pads at the tips of digits, those on the toes are similarly expanded or smaller.[2]

Habitat and conservation

Pristimantis tayrona inhabits cloud forests and páramos at elevations of 1,300–2,700 m (4,300–8,900 ft) above sea level.[4] It occurs in and on arboreal bromeliads, which also are its breeding habitat.[1][2] It shares this habitat with Savage's salamander Bolitoglossa savagei.[2]

It is threatened by habitat loss caused by cultivation and fumigation of crops and rearing of livestock. Part of the range is protected in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park.[1]

References

1. Martha Patricia Ramírez Pinilla, Mariela Osorno-Muñoz, Jose Vicente Rueda, Adolfo Amézquita, María Cristina Ardila-Robayo (2004). Pristimantis tayrona. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2.
2. Lynch, John D.; Ruíz-Carranza, P. M. (1985). "A synopsis of the frogs of the genus Eleutherodactylus from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia". Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan. 711: 1–59.
3. Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Pristimantis tayrona (Lynch and Ruiz-Carranza, 1985)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
4. Acosta-Galvis, A.R. (2015). "Pristimantis tayrona (Lynch & Ruiz, 1985)". Lista de los Anfibios de Colombia V.05.2015. www.batrachia.com. Retrieved 26 January 2016.