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Amphibians of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AMPHIBIA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Amphibians (Class Amphibia)

-Frogs and Toads (Order Anura)

-Rain Frogs (Family Eleutherodactylidae)

-Subfamily (Eleutherodactylinae)

-Rain Frogs (Genus Eleutherodactylus)

-White-lipped Rain Frog (Eleutherodactylus albolabris)


The White-lipped Rain Frog (Leptodactylus fragilis), is a small, terrestrial species of frog that is commonly found across a broad range of habitats in Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and parts of the southern United States. It belongs to the family Leptodactylidae. The most distinctive feature is the white or pale stripe running along the upper lip. This species feeds on small invertebrates, such as ants, beetles, spiders, and other insects. Eleutherodactylus is endemic to Guerrero and is the the only genus of Rain Frog found in the Zihuatanejo area.

White-lipped Rain Frog
(Eleutherodactylus albolabris)

Diet

  • Primarily small terrestrial invertebrates, including ants, termites, beetles, flies, springtails, mites, spiders, and other tiny arthropods.

  • Hunts at night on the forest floor and in low vegetation, capturing prey with its sticky tongue.

  • Juveniles feed on even smaller insects and micro-arthropods.

Range

  • Endemic to Guerrero, Mexico, where it occurs in the Sierra Madre del Sur and adjacent Pacific slope.

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forest, semi-deciduous tropical forest, oak and pine-oak woodland, and moist ravines with abundant leaf litter.

  • Usually found beneath logs, rocks, and leaf litter, emerging after dark during the rainy season.

  • Reproduces by direct development—eggs are laid on land and hatch directly into miniature frogs without a tadpole stage.

Size

  • Male: 20–28 mm (0.8–1.1 in)

  • Female: 28–35 mm (1.1–1.4 in)

  • Weight: Approximately 1–3 g

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