Amphibian Species Of Ecuador

Ecuador is a stunning nation with varied terrain, including the Galapagos Islands, the Andean mountains, and Amazon jungles. After Brazil and Colombia, Ecuador has the third-highest number of amphibian species in the world, with over 580.

Ecuador contains two species of amphibians for every 1,000 square kilometers, making it the country with the most excellent amphibian density.

Most people are unaware of Ecuador’s amphibians despite the abundance of amphibian species, the animals’ nature, and the difficulties in reaching their habitats. The following examines a few of Ecuador’s amphibian species.

Tree frog with a white belly

Hyla alboguttata, a member of the Hylidae family of frogs, is a species of tree frog that is native to Ecuador as well as some areas of Peru and Colombia.

Its habitat consists of plantations, marshes, swamps, and lowland wet tropical and subtropical forests. The forward-facing eyes of the white-bellied tree frog provide its binocular vision.

It can securely hold items because of the sticky pads on its fingers and toes. The frogs have white bellies or undersides, as their name would imply, and either brownish or greenish skin coverings.

For the tadpoles to fall into the pod after they hatch, the mother frog deposits her eggs on plant leaves that dangle over the water. The White-bellied Tree Frog consumes insects and other invertebrates.

However, it may also eat small vertebrates when it reaches adulthood. The short habitat loss brought on by human activity puts the species in danger.

Amazon Frog Sheep

The Hamptophryne boliviana, sometimes referred to as the Bolivian Bleating Frog or Bolivian Sheep Frog, is a frog that belongs to the Microhylidae family.

It is a terrestrial frog that inhabits the western and northern regions of the Amazon Basin in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

The adult Amazon Sheep Frog lives in flooded forests and forest floors throughout many lowland forests. Their name comes from their quick, loud bleating, miming a sheep’s.

The eggs are laid by the female in still or slowly flowing ponds, and the tadpoles develop at the pond’s bottom. The Amazon Sheep Frog eats insects and termites.

Toad of Blomberg

The Colombian Giant Toad, commonly known as Blomberg’s Toad or Rhaebo Blomberg, is a toad that belongs to the Bufonidae family. It is mostly seen in forests between 660 to 2,130 feet, particularly in Ecuador and Colombia. In honor of Swedish explorer Rolf Blomberg, the species was named.

From snout to vent, male toads are between 15 and 17 centimeters long, while females are between 2 and 2.5 centimeters long. Blomberg’s toads breed in pools and are primarily found in lowland tropical rainforests that are blocked off.

Despite being a widespread species, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has classed it as near endangered due to habitat loss brought on by the cutting of forests for human habitation and agriculture, as well as the continued consequences of its usage in the pet trade.

Caecilian with two colors

Epicrionops bicolor, a species of caecilian in the Rhinatrematidae family, has two colors. It lives in subtropical and tropical moist montane forests and water bodies in Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador.

An adult Two-colored Caecilian possesses a longitudinal entrance at the cloaca, over 11 post-cloacal annuli, three ceratobranchial arches, and a long tail. More than one row of scales may be seen in each circular groove.

The main challenges facing two-colored caecilians are the loss of their mountain forest habitats, agricultural production practices, and water pollution.

Species of amphibians in Ecuador