Leptodactylus ocellatus
Encyclopedia
Leptodactylus latrans is a species of frog
in the Leptodactylidae
family. Its local name is Sapo-Rana Llanero ("Llanos toad-frog") or Rana Criolla ("Creole frog"); In Brazil it is known as Rã Manteiga ("Butter Frog"); the latter term is also used for congeners elsewhere.
It is found in Argentina
, Bolivia
, Brazil
, Colombia
, French Guiana
, Guyana
, Paraguay
, Suriname
, Trinidad and Tobago
, Uruguay
, Venezuela
, and possibly Peru
.
Its natural habitat
s are subtropical or tropical dry forest
s, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna
, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland
, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, temperate grassland
, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, river
s, intermittent rivers, shrub-dominated wetland
s, swamp
s, intermittent freshwater lake
s, freshwater marsh
es, intermittent freshwater marches, freshwater spring
s, pastureland, rural gardens, urban area
s, heavily degraded former forest, pond
s, seasonally flooded agricultural land, and canal
s and ditches.
It is threatened by habitat loss.
General:
These frogs are frequently found resting at the margin of ponds or small lakes and jump into the water if they are perturbed. They are good swimmers but may also walk and run over land; the toe fringes they have allow for both activities. The average female size is 80-110mm and the average male length is 90-120mm. It is not exactly known how long the L. ocellatus lives however it generally seems to average around 4 – 15 years.
Diet:
The L. ocellatus are carnivorous and their diet consists mostly of small insects and larvae. They catch these insects with their tongue.
Breeding:
Breeding time is between September and February. Males climb onto the females back and beat glandular secretions of the female into a foamy mass, which creates a nest for the thousands of small black eggs. A usual nest is between 12 and 25 cm in diameter and often has a central hole of 4 to 8 cm width. The foamy mass floats on the water surface and the foam lowers the risk of attacks from predators. Females are often found sitting in the nest hole with their head poking out or beneath the nest and show threatening behaviors towards any predators that may come. After larvae hatch they swim around less than 1m away from the mother.
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
in the Leptodactylidae
Leptodactylidae
Leptodactylidae is a diverse family of frogs that probably diverged from other hyloids during the Cenozoic era, or possibly at the end of the Mesozoic. There are roughly 50 genera, one of which is Eleutherodactylus, the largest vertebrate genus, with over 700 species...
family. Its local name is Sapo-Rana Llanero ("Llanos toad-frog") or Rana Criolla ("Creole frog"); In Brazil it is known as Rã Manteiga ("Butter Frog"); the latter term is also used for congeners elsewhere.
It is found in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, and possibly Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s are subtropical or tropical dry forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland
Shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...
, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, temperate grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s, intermittent rivers, shrub-dominated wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s, swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s, intermittent freshwater lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s, freshwater marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es, intermittent freshwater marches, freshwater spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
s, pastureland, rural gardens, urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s, heavily degraded former forest, pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
s, seasonally flooded agricultural land, and canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s and ditches.
It is threatened by habitat loss.
General:
These frogs are frequently found resting at the margin of ponds or small lakes and jump into the water if they are perturbed. They are good swimmers but may also walk and run over land; the toe fringes they have allow for both activities. The average female size is 80-110mm and the average male length is 90-120mm. It is not exactly known how long the L. ocellatus lives however it generally seems to average around 4 – 15 years.
Diet:
The L. ocellatus are carnivorous and their diet consists mostly of small insects and larvae. They catch these insects with their tongue.
Breeding:
Breeding time is between September and February. Males climb onto the females back and beat glandular secretions of the female into a foamy mass, which creates a nest for the thousands of small black eggs. A usual nest is between 12 and 25 cm in diameter and often has a central hole of 4 to 8 cm width. The foamy mass floats on the water surface and the foam lowers the risk of attacks from predators. Females are often found sitting in the nest hole with their head poking out or beneath the nest and show threatening behaviors towards any predators that may come. After larvae hatch they swim around less than 1m away from the mother.