| Gastrotheca guentheri | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Hemiphractidae |
| Genus: | Gastrotheca |
| Species: | G. guentheri |
| Binomial name | |
| Gastrotheca guentheri (Boulenger, 1882) |
|
Guenther's Marsupial Frog (Gastrotheca guentheri) is a species of frog in the Hemiphractidae family. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.
It is the only known frog with true teeth in its lower jaw. Recent studies have proposed its teeth have re-evolved after being absent for over 200 million years, challenging Dollo's law.[1] According to John Wiens, the author of this paper, re-evolution of teeth in the lower jaw may have been made easier because of the fact that most frogs have teeth in their upper jaw so there was already a way of facilitating new teeth in the lower jaw after 200 million years.[2]