Tomato frog
Encyclopedia
The 'Tomato frog' is any one of the three species of genus
Dyscophus (family
Microhylidae
): D. antongilii, D. insularis, or D. guineti.The tomato frog originally came from Madagascar. The common name comes from the frog
's bright red color. When threatened, a tomato frog puffs up its body. If a predator grabs a tomato frog in its mouth, the frog's skin secretes a thick substance that gums up the predator's eyes and mouth, causing the predator to release the frog to free up its eyes. The gummy substance contains a toxin that occasionally causes allergic reactions in humans. The allergic reaction will not kill a human and the frog secretes it only when frightened. The lifespan of the Tomato Frog can be from 6 to 8 years. When adult, the colors may vary from yellowish orange to deep red. Tomato Frogs will reach sexual maturity in 9 - 14 months. Females are larger than males and can reach 4 inches in length. Males can reach 2 to 3 inches in length. Most females range from reddish-orange bright dark red. The bellies are usually more yellowish, and sometimes there are black spots on the throat. But males are not as brightly colored but more of a duller orange or brownish-orange. Juveniles are also dull in color and develop brighter coloration as they mature. They are also on the endangered species list. They breed in the rainy season and are nocturnal. They tend to eat small insects and invertebrates.
There are four different species
:
{|style="text-align:left; border:1px solid #999999; "
|-style="background:#CCCC99; text-align: center; "
!Binomial Name and Author!! Common Name
|-
|-style="background:#FFFDFF;"
| Dyscophus antongilii || Madagascar tomato frog
|-style="background:#EEEEEE;"
| Dyscophus guineti
|| False Tomato Frog
|-style="background:#FFFDFF;"
| Dyscophus insularis
|| Tomato Frog
|-style="background:#FFFDFF;"
| Dyscophus philippensis
|| Philippine Brown Tomato Frog
|-jfnbjknbjfjbfgb these frogs yell at there preditors
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Dyscophus (family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Microhylidae
Microhylidae
Microhylidae is a geographically widespread family of frogs. There are 413 species in 69 genera and nine subfamilies, which is the largest number of genera of any frog family.-Description:...
): D. antongilii, D. insularis, or D. guineti.The tomato frog originally came from Madagascar. The common name comes from the 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...
's bright red color. When threatened, a tomato frog puffs up its body. If a predator grabs a tomato frog in its mouth, the frog's skin secretes a thick substance that gums up the predator's eyes and mouth, causing the predator to release the frog to free up its eyes. The gummy substance contains a toxin that occasionally causes allergic reactions in humans. The allergic reaction will not kill a human and the frog secretes it only when frightened. The lifespan of the Tomato Frog can be from 6 to 8 years. When adult, the colors may vary from yellowish orange to deep red. Tomato Frogs will reach sexual maturity in 9 - 14 months. Females are larger than males and can reach 4 inches in length. Males can reach 2 to 3 inches in length. Most females range from reddish-orange bright dark red. The bellies are usually more yellowish, and sometimes there are black spots on the throat. But males are not as brightly colored but more of a duller orange or brownish-orange. Juveniles are also dull in color and develop brighter coloration as they mature. They are also on the endangered species list. They breed in the rainy season and are nocturnal. They tend to eat small insects and invertebrates.
Species
There are four different species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
:
{|style="text-align:left; border:1px solid #999999; "
|-style="background:#CCCC99; text-align: center; "
!Binomial Name and Author!! Common Name
|-
|-style="background:#FFFDFF;"
| Dyscophus antongilii || Madagascar tomato frog
|-style="background:#EEEEEE;"
| Dyscophus guineti
Dyscophus guineti
The False Tomato Frog, Dyscophus guineti, is a species of frog in the Microhylidae family.It is endemic to Madagascar.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical swamps, swamps, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marches, and heavily...
|| False Tomato Frog
|-style="background:#FFFDFF;"
| Dyscophus insularis
Dyscophus insularis
Dyscophus insularis is a species of frog in the Microhylidae family.It is endemic to Madagascar.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, moist savanna, intermittent rivers, and intermittent freshwater marshes.It is...
|| Tomato Frog
|-style="background:#FFFDFF;"
| Dyscophus philippensis
Dyscophus philippensis
The Philippine Brown Tomato Frog is a species of frog in the Microhylidae family.It is endemic to Philippines....
|| Philippine Brown Tomato Frog
|-jfnbjknbjfjbfgb these frogs yell at there preditors