Pristimantis vertebralis is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. It is endemic to the Andes of Ecuador and occurs in the Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Bolívar, and Azuay provinces. Common name vertebral robber frog has been coined for it.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Jumping (saltation) can be distinguished from running, galloping, and other gaits where the entire body is temporarily airborne by the relatively l...
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starts withAdult males measure 21–28 mm (0.8–1.1 in) and adult females 35–44 mm (1.4–1.7 in) in snout–vent length; Lynch (1979) gives somewhat higher maximum sizes (34 mm and 45 mm, respectively). The snout is subacuminate in dorsal view and rounded in profile. The tympanum is prominent. The upper eyelid has low tubercles. The fingers have narrow lateral keels and the toes lateral fringes but no webbing. The finger discs are large, those of the toes somewhat smaller. Coloration is highly variable. In one population, the dorsum was bronze-brown to reddish brown, and in another one, green, brick-red, brown, olive-brown, or yellowish brown; most individuals had black flecks. The venter is creamy yellow (sometimes with orange tint), with brown or black marbling. The iris is copper or nearly black.
