Description
Paratelmatobius poecilogaster is the largest member of its genus, with males reaching 20-26 mm SVL and females reaching 25.2-30.1 mm SVL (Giaretta and Castanho 1990). Dorsal skin of body and limbs are brown and green with green dots that may be fused to form a vertebral line which differs in length (some individuals had blue vertebral stripes). Thighs and shanks have paired brown lines. There is a pink line from back of eye to groin. There is also a lateral dark gray stripe from posterior corner of eye through flank to the groin. A dark stripe extends from the posterior border of the orbit to the upper lip. The throat is black medially and orange marginally. Belly is orange and red with black and or white blotches. The ventral coloration of the arms are red, dorsal surface of the digits is cream. Snout is flat with an indistinct tympanum. There is a small tubercle on the edge of the upper eyelid. The nuptial pad is brown and possesses many spicules. The tip of the third finger is rounded. Toes have fringes rather than webbing.

Tadpole. eggs were collected at the type locality. The following description is based on a tadpole at Gosner (1960) stage 37: total length 25.8 mm, body length 8.1 mm. Body is ovoid in dorsal view and globular in lateral profile. Nostrils are closer to the eye than to anterior tip of snout. Spiracle is small, sinistral and opens at the posterior half of the body. Cloacal tube is present medially. Labial tooth row formula is 2(2)/3(1).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Brazil

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Known from Boraceia, Salesopolis (Heyer et al 1990 species had been considered to be P. gaigeae) and from the type locality at Paranapiacaba, Santo Andre, Sao Paulo State.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Males were found to aggregate in dry beds of temporary rivulets in rough ground where they called at night from the margins of small subterranean ponds under large bounders inside the forest (males call despite a lack of vocal slits). Amplexus is axillary. Eggs are laid on sloping rocks that later produce tadpoles which wriggle and fall into a body of water brought about by rains (Pombal Jr. and C. F. B. Haddad. 1999).

References

Giaretta, A. A., and Castanho, L.M. (1990). ''Nova especie de Paratelmatobius (Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae) da Serra do Mar, Brasil.'' Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (São Paulo), 37, 133-139.

Gosner, K. L. (1960). ''A simplified table for staging anuran embryos and larvae with notes on identification.'' Herpetologica, 16(3), 183-190.

Heyer, W. R., Rand, A. S., Cruz, C. A. G., Peixoto, O. L., and Nelson, C. E. (1990). ''Frogs of Boracéia.'' Arquivos de Zoologia Sao Paulo, 31, 231-410.

Pombal Jr., J. P. and Haddad, C. F. B. (1999). ''Frogs of the genus Paratelmatobius (Anura: Leptodactylidae) with descriptions of two new species.'' Copeia, 1999(4), 1014-1026.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2008 Paratelmatobius poecilogaster <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/3380> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 22, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 22 Nov 2024.

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