Description
The taxonomic status of the genus Euparkerella is at present very confused: it was placed recently in Brachycephalidae by Frost et al (2006) and later in the new family Strabomantidae by Hedges et al. (2008), however, neither taxonomic revision sampled this taxon for molecular analysis, instead making decisions on the basis of external morphology and its presumed reproductive biology.

Euparkerella cochranae can be recognized by the following combination of external traits: a small species (SVL can vary between 15-18 mm), males with a pair of pink inguinal glands, IV finger and V tubercle relatively shorter, subarticular tubercle of the fourth finger absent, sides of the head with a dark mask and dorsal color pattern dark brown, sometimes with an M-shaped mark (Lynch 1971; Izecksohn 1988).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Brazil

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Euparkerella cochranae lives in the leaf litter of forests in mountainous regions of the state of Rio de Janeiro, at elevations from sea level to 600 m asl. Vrcibradic et al. (2008) argued that E. cochranae might actually be fairly widespread along the Serra do Mar mountain range in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Little is known about the natural history of members of the genus, but this species is presumed to breed by direct development. Rocha et al. (2007) found that E. cochranae had a density of 0.86 individuals/100 m² in the leaf-litter frog community studied by these authors.

Trends and Threats
The geographic range of E. cochranae overlaps with some protected areas, such as the Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos, in Guapimirim and Santo Aleixo, municipality of Magé (Izecksohn 1988), Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu, all in the state of Rio de Janeiro, where it is thought to be endemic (Rocha et al. 2004, 2007; Vrcibradic et al. 2008).

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss
Habitat modification from deforestation, or logging related activities
Intensified agriculture or grazing
Drainage of habitat
Habitat fragmentation

Comments
The epithet of this species was given in honor of Doris Cochran.

References

Frost, D. R., Grant, T., Faivovich, J., Bain, R. H., Haas, A., Haddad, C. F. B., de Sá, R. O., Channing, A., Wilkinson, M., Donnellan, S. C., Raxworthy, C. J., Campbell, J. A., Blotto, B. L., Moler, P., Drewes, R. C., Nussbaum, R. A., Lynch, J. D., Green D. M., Wheeler, W. C. (2006). "The amphibian tree of life." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 297, 1-370. [link]

Hedges, S. B., Duellman, W. E., Heinicke, M. P. (2008). ''New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): Molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and conservation.'' Zootaxa, 1737, 1-182.

Izecksohn, E. (1988). ''Algumas considerações sobre o gênero Euparkerella, com a descrição de três novas espécies (Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae).'' Revista Brasileira de Biologia, 48, 59-74.

Lynch, J. D. (1971). ''Evolutionary relationship, osteology, and zoogeography of leptodactyloid frogs.'' Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, 53, 1-238.

Rocha, C. F. D., Bergallo, H. G., Pombal, J. P., Geise, L., Van Sluys, M., Fernandes, R., and Caramaschi, U. (2004). ''Fauna de anfíbios, répteis e mamíferos do estado do Rio de Janeiro, sudeste do Brasil.'' Publicações Avulsas do Museu Nacional, 104, 1-24.

Rocha, C. F. D., Vrcibradic, D., Kiefer, M. C., Almeida-Gomes, M., Borges, V. N. T. Jr., Carneiro, P. C. F., Marra, R. V., Almeida-Santos, P., Siqueira, C. C., Goyannes-Araújo, P., Fernandes, C. G. A., Rubiao, E. C. N., and Van Sluys, M. (2007). ''A survey of the leaf-litter frog assembly from an Atlantic forest area (Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu) in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, with an estimate of frog densities.'' Tropical Zoology, 20, 99-108.

Vrcibradic, D., Almeida-Gomes, M., Van Sluys, M., and Rocha, C. F. D. (2008). ''Amphibia, Anura, Hylodes charadranaetes, Ischnocnema octavioi, and Euparkerella cochranae: Distribution extension.'' Check List, 4(1), 103–106.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2010 Euparkerella cochranae: Cochran's Guanabara Frog <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/2621> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Sep 10, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 10 Sep 2024.

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