Flectonotus fitzgeraldi (Parker, 1934)

Taxonomic Classification

The Mount Tucuche tree frog, scientifically known as Flectonotus fitzgeraldi, is a species of tree frog belonging to the family Hemiphractidae.

Geographical Distribution

Its distribution ranges across Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the Paria Peninsula, La Cerbatana Mountains, and Campeare Mountains in Venezuela.

Habitat and Microhabitat

It is an arboreal species that lives in various microhabitats within humid montane forest, including the leaf bases of bromeliads and aroids, and within bushes.

Conservation Status

This species is currently threatened by habitat loss, and it was formerly classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Etymology

It is named after Leslie Desmond Foster Vesey-Fitzgerald, who conducted work in Trinidad and Tobago during the early 1930s.

Size Comparison to Congeners

Compared to Flectonotus pygmaeus, adult male Mount Tucuche tree frogs are approximately 25.5% smaller, and adult females are approximately 26.6% smaller.

Tadpole Morphology

Like the tadpoles of F. pygmaeus, the tadpoles of F. fitzgeraldi have beaks that only contain small amounts of keratin, and they do not have denticles.

Tadpole Development and Feeding

There are no recorded observations of these tadpoles feeding, and they hatch at an advanced stage of development.

Reproductive Behavior

Females carry between two and six eggs in a semi-enclosed dorsal pouch, after males deposit the eggs into this pouch.