Allophrynidae
| Tukeit Hill frog | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Suborder: | Neobatrachia |
| Family: | Centrolenidae / Allophrynidae |
| Subfamily: |
Allophryninae Goin, Goin, & Zug, 1978 |
| Genus: |
Allophryne Gaige, 1926 |
| Species: | A. ruthveni |
| Binomial name | |
|
Allophryne ruthveni Gaige, 1926 |
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| Distribution of A. ruthveni (in black) | |
The Tukeit Hill frog (Allophryne ruthveni) is one of the two described species in the genus Allophryne (the other one being Allophryne resplendens,) which in turn is the only member of the subfamily Allophryninae, a clade recently placed under the family Centrolenidae (elevated by some authors to the rank of a separate family Allophrynidae). These frogs live in Guyana, Venezuela, Surinam, Brazil and Bolivia. The holotype was discovered at Tukeit Hill, below Kaieteur Falls, Guyana, hence the common English name.
The Tukeit Hill frog is a small frog of variable colouration, either black, with stripes and spots which can be golden or dull yellow, or a dull yellow or golden ventral surface, with black strips and spots. It has a flat body, and small, flat head. It has a single, submandibular vocal sac. The toe pads are enlarged, wider than the fingers, and the tympanum is visible. The Tukeit Hill frog is superficially similar to the tree frogs, but the ends of their phalanges differ in shape.
A. ruthveni is part of a hitherto (see below) monotypic subfamily of anurans: Allophryninae. The evolutionary relationships of this species have always been controversial. It has been joined to families such as Hylidae, Bufonidae, and Leptodactylidae, but until recently, its closer relatives were unknown.
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