Telmatobius culeus
Encyclopedia
Telmatobius culeus, commonly known as the Titicaca Water Frog, is a very large and critically endangered
species of frog
in the Leptodactylidae
family. It is entirely aquatic
and only found in Lake Titicaca
and rivers that flow into this lake in South America
. While the lungs are greatly reduced, this frog has excessive amounts of skin, used to help the frog breathe in the high altitude in which it lives.
In the early 1970s, an expedition led by Jacques Cousteau reported frogs up to 50 centimetres (19.7 in) in outstretched length, with individuals commonly weighing 1 kilograms (2.2 lb), making these the largest exclusively aquatic frogs in the world (the African goliath frog
is larger, but sometimes it can be seen on land). The snout-vent length is 7.5–13.8 cm (3–5.4 in).
Once common, the Titicaca Water Frog has declined drastically and is now facing extinction due to over-collecting for human consumption, pollution, and predation of tadpoles by introduced
trout
. It may also be threatened by the disease chytridiomycosis
. Several other species in the genus Telmatobius
are facing similar risks.
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
species of frog
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. It is entirely aquatic
Aquatic animal
An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract its oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through its skin. Natural environments and the animals that...
and only found in Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It sits 3,811 m above sea level, making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world...
and rivers that flow into this lake in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. While the lungs are greatly reduced, this frog has excessive amounts of skin, used to help the frog breathe in the high altitude in which it lives.
In the early 1970s, an expedition led by Jacques Cousteau reported frogs up to 50 centimetres (19.7 in) in outstretched length, with individuals commonly weighing 1 kilograms (2.2 lb), making these the largest exclusively aquatic frogs in the world (the African goliath frog
Goliath frog
The goliath frog, Conraua goliath is the largest extant anuran on Earth. It can grow up to 33 cm in length from snout to vent, and weighs up to 3 kg . This animal has a relatively small habitat range, mainly in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea...
is larger, but sometimes it can be seen on land). The snout-vent length is 7.5–13.8 cm (3–5.4 in).
Once common, the Titicaca Water Frog has declined drastically and is now facing extinction due to over-collecting for human consumption, pollution, and predation of tadpoles by introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
. It may also be threatened by the disease chytridiomycosis
Chytridiomycosis
Chytridiomycosis is an infectious disease of amphibians, caused by the chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a non-hyphal zoosporic fungus. Chytridiomycosis has been linked to dramatic population declines or even extinctions of amphibian species in western North America, Central America, South...
. Several other species in the genus Telmatobius
Telmatobius
Telmatobius is a genus of frogs native to the Andean highlands in South America, where they are found in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northwestern Argentina and northern Chile. All species are closely associated with water and some are entirely aquatic...
are facing similar risks.
External links
- Video footage and photographs of Titicaca Water Frog on ARKiveARKiveARKive is a global initiative with the mission of "promoting the conservation of the world's threatened species, through the power of wildlife imagery", which it does by locating and gathering films, photographs and audio recordings of the world's species into a centralised digital archive. Its...