Gardiner's Seychelles frog

Gardiner's frog
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Suborder: Neobatrachia
Family: Sooglossidae
Genus: Sooglossus
Species: S. gardineri
Binomial name
Sooglossus gardineri
(Boulenger, 1911)

Gardiner's frog (Sooglossus gardineri) is a small frog of the Sooglossidae family and endemic to the Seychelles.

Description

Gardiner's frog is one of the smallest frogs in the world, reaching a maximum length of 11 millimetres (0.4 in). Newly hatched frogs measure only 3 millimetres (0.1 in) in length. Adult males are only 8mm long. It is brown in color, and has a dark stripe running from its mouth to its legs.

Gardiner's frog is notable for its ability to hear despite the absence of a middle ear cavity. Research has shown that the species is able to use its mouth cavity to amplify sound and transmit it to the inner ear.[1]

Ecology and behavior

Gardiner's frog is a terrestrial frog, feeding on small invertebrates including mites, sciarid larvae, ants, and amphipods. It is restricted to the high- and mid-altitude areas of Mahé and Silhouette Islands of the Seychelles group. This is unusual among the Sooglossidae, as most are restricted to the high latitudes, which have a stable climate due to constant mist. Although Gardiner's frog is secure in the regions in which it is found, it is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List because it is restricted to only five localities.

References

  1. ↑ Renaud Boistel et al., How minute sooglossid frogs hear without a middle ear, Advance Online Publication PNAS Early Edition 2 September 2013.