Through eastern, central, and southern Brazil, and ranges into adjacent Argentina, northern Uruguay, eastern and northern Paraguay, Bolivia. A tentative sighting in the lowlands of southern Venezuela is reported (IUCN 2022).
Comments
Amphibians of Rio Claro Farm by Fabio Maffei and Flavio Ubaid (2014).
This species was featured in News of the Week 5 June 2023:
Foam nests are a unique reproductive strategy used by frogs providing eggs and larva protection from desiccation, predation, and suffocation while also aiding in fertilization and providing a food source for developing larvae. More recently, the protein and carbohydrate rich foam also has been associated with the vertical transfer of beneficial microbial communities in rhacophorid frogs. Monteiro et al. (2023) characterized the protein composition and microbiome of the nests of three Leptodactylid species: Adenomera hylaedactyla, Leptodactylus vastus, and Physalaemus cuvieri, with each representing a different spawning habitat type. They found that protein composition was species-specific and was influenced more by spawn habitat type and nest size than phylogenetic relatedness. Many of these proteins were previously unidentified. Additionally, the microbiome community of the nest was unique from the surrounding environment and the adult skin microbiome. These findings show that foam nests have a key functional role in reproduction and highlight the need for conservation efforts to protect nests from anthropic pressures, as each nest has a unique microenvironment. (Written by Ann Chang)
This species was featured in News of the Week 14 August 2023:
Amphibians are found across a wide range of elevations, from sea level to above 5,000 meters, exposing them to a wide range of climates. The climate variability hypothesis predicts that organisms exposed to more temperate variation will be able to function across a wider range of temperatures. Bovo et al. (2023) tested the thermal tolerances of five species of frogs that are distributed across mountains in Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest in a variety of microhabitats, including Boana faber, Dendropsophus minutus, Leptodactylus latrans, Physalaemus cuvieri, and Rhinella icterica. They found differences among species in temperature tolerance, but did not always find that broader temperature variation at increasing elevations correlated with broader temperature tolerance. In addition, they did not find a consistent difference in water loss or water uptake across altitude or climates. Overall, they did not find strong support for the climate variability hypothesis or for elevation shaping these physiological traits. (MWomack)
References
Abraham M, Rodrigues MT, and Baldo D. 2010. Physalaemus cuvieri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T57250A11609155. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-2.RLTS.T57250A11609155.en. Accessed on 05 June 2023.
Toledo, L.F., Zina, J., and Haddad, C.F.B. (2003). ''Distribuição espacial e temporal de uma comunidade de anfíbios anuros do Município de Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brasil.'' Holos Environment, 3, 136-149.
Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2023 Physalaemus cuvieri: Cuvier's Foam Froglet <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/3393> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 22, 2024.
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