Gastrotheca guentheri
| Gastrotheca guentheri | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| 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 montane forests, 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]
References
- ↑ Wiens, J. J. (2011). "Re-Evolution of Lost Mandibular Teeth in Frogs After More Than 200 Million Years, and Re-Evaluating Dollo's Law". Evolution 65 (5): 1283–1296. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01221.x. PMID 21521189.
- ↑ Sindya N. Bhanoo (8 February 2011). "A Frog Evolved to Regain the Teeth Its Ancestors Jettisoned". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
Sources
- Bolívar, W., et al. 2004. Gastrotheca guentheri. 2010 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 9 February 2011.
- Discover life: Hylidae - Treefrogs
- Breathing Space: Gastrotheca guentheri