Adelophryne


Adelophryne is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae. They are native to northern South America east of the Andes, known roughly from the area corresponding to the Guiana Shield, as well as to the coastal area of Bahia, Brazil. Whether the genus is truly distinct from Phyzelaphryne remains uncertain. Common name shield frogs has been proposed for this genus, although the stem flea frog is used for some species.

Etymology

The generic name is derived from the Greek words adelos, meaning "unseen, unknown, obscure", and phryne for "toad". It refers to the fact that these small frogs were seldom collected until relatively lately.

Description

Adelophryne are small leaf-litter frogs. Adults of the largest species, A. patamona, measure no more than in snout–to–vent length and the remaining all are less than. At in males and in females, A. michelin is not only the smallest in the genus, but among the smallest frogs of the Americas, with only a few Brachycephalus species, Eleutherodactylus iberia and E. limbatus being of roughly similar size.
The pupil of Adelophryne is oval and horizontally oriented. The tympanum is distinct. The digits are flattened and have asymmetrically pointed, laterally grooved, elongate discs. No webbing is present. The fourth finger is reduced in size. Males have a large, external subgular vocal sac.
Reproduction is through direct development, that is, eggs hatch directly into froglets, without free-living larval stage. Before this was confirmed for Adelophryne maranguapensis, the relatively large size of the eggs in this genus led many researcher to conclude that direct development was likely to be present.

Species

As of late 2019, there are ten species:
The genus is likely to contain several undescribed species.