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Rana chilena
Calyptocephalella gayi
-33.05, -71.3889
Field Notes
Description:
Large frog, up to 200 mm long from snout to vent, weighing up to 500 g. Robust body, strong limbs, short in relation to body. Finger and toe tips round, well-developed interdigital webbing. Big head, wide at base, with short round snout. Skin with glands irregularly placed on all the dorsal region. Greenish brown dorsal region with irregular dark spots. Whitish to yelowish abdominal region. Males have a dark gular region. Pigmentation and sexual ornaments on internal border of the hand. Small eyes in relation to the head, eyes dorsally placed with vertical pupil. Visible timpanic ring.
Habitat:
Chilean endemic frog species. Found from Coquimbo administrative region to Los Lagos administrative region. Also reported at Aysen administrative region; possibly forming part of a small introduced population. Aquatic habits, living in lagoons and slow-flowing streams with abundant vegetation (ponds with lentic water). Short post metamorphic period carried out in terrestrial environments. Excellent swimmers while out the water, movements are clumsy and heavy due to short limbs. Generally buried in the mud. Their diet is composed by crustaceans, fish or other amphibians, including those of their own species. Its exceptionally eats rodents and small birds. Reproductive period varies depending on geographic area. Eggs are found between August and Febraury. Tadpoles reach 100 mm long and metamorphose after, approximately 10 months.
Notes:
Classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN and the Chilean Species Classification Regulation (RCE, by its Spanish abbreviation). Their main threats are direct extraction for human consumption of their meat. Introduction of exotic fish (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and amphibian (Xenopus laevis). Draining of lagoons and swamps due to urbanization.
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