hear call (3464.3K WAV file)

[call details here]

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Brazil

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Odontophrynus juquinha occurs in the Espinhaço range of southeastern Brazil ranging in elevation from 900 to 1540 m a.s.l. At its northernmost known distribution of Serra do Itobira, municipality of Rio de Contas, Bahia State, it extends south to Serra do Cipó, municipality of Santana do Riacho, Minas Gerais State (Rocha et al 2017).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Males call from shallow waters in nutrient-poor rupestrian grasslands (campo rupestre) usually at the start of the rainy season after heavy rains, even in the daytime. Their loud choruses can be heard from a distance but they will cease calling if approached (Rocha et al 2017).

Larva
Tadpoles can be found in mainly freshwater bodies (lentic environments) such as side or backwater streams, flooded wetlands, and seasonal ponds.

Rocha et al 2017 has detailed morphological description of the tadpole.

Comments
This species was featured in News of the Week on 10 July 2023:

Pollen is potentially a nutritious food source and widespread in the right season. Whether tadpoles take advantage of pollen and effectively consume pollen may depend on whether they can digest the grains despite its hard outer coats, the season, and feeding morphology. Kloh et al 2023 examined three frog species with different tadpole feeding behaviors to investigate the role of pollen in their diets: Phasmahyla jandaia, which feeds at the water’s surface; Scinax curicica, which feeds in the water column; Odontophrynus juquinha, which feeds on the bottom. Comparing gut contents, pollen digestion, developmental stages, morphology, and seasonality, they found that surface-feeding tadpoles were generally the better consumers and consumed the most pollen. Some seasonal variation existed in the water-column feeders with pollen consumption high in the dry season likely when other food sources are more scarce. They did find all three species consumed pollen regardless of stage. Their work highlights an overlooked food source for amphibians and the importance of conserving the food web of riparian habitats. (Written by Michelle Koo)

References

Rocha, P.C., de Sena, L.M.F, Pezzuti, T.L., Leite, F.S.F., Svartman, M., Rosset, S.D., Baldo, D., de Anhietta Garcia, P.C. (2017). ''A new diploid species belonging to the Odontophrynus americanus species group (Anura: Odontophrynidae) from the Espinhaço range, Brazil.'' Zootaxa, 4329(4), 327-350.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2023 Odontophrynus juquinha <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/8704> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Jan 2, 2025.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2025. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 2 Jan 2025.

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