Tobago Stream Frog, Mannophryne olmonae (Aromobatidae)

Colostethus olmonae Hardy, 1983, Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society, 19: 47. Holotype: USNM 198505, by original designation. Type locality: Bloody Bay, St. John Parish, Tobago, West Indies.

Mannophryne olmonae — La Marca, 1992, Cuadernos Geográficos. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela, 9: 32.

Taxonomy & Systematics. Mannophryne olmonae is not closely related to Mannophryne trinitatis (Lehtinen et al.2011, Jowers et al. 2011), as was suggested by Murphy (1997). Kaiser et al. showed the chromosome banding pattern distinguished the two species. The sister taxon of M. olmonae is M. riveroi from the Peninsula de Paria, Venezuela (Lehtinen et al.2011, Jowers et al. 2011).

Distribution. Forested areas of central and eastern Tobago, between 30–490 m asl. The report of this species from Little Tobago Island was an error (Murphy, 1997).

Natural History. The Tobago Stream Frog is associated with rocky or gravel bottom streams and may move away from streams into the leaf litter during heavy rains. Females deposit eggs in terrestrial locations, guarded by the male. Upon hatching the male carries the tadpoles to pools for continued development. The pools may be roadside ditches or flooded areas on the forest floor.


Literature

Hardy, J.D. 1983. A new frog of the genus Colostethus from the island of Tobago, West Indies (Anura: Dendrobatidae). Bulletin Maryland Herpetological Society, 19(2), 47-57.

IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group 2013. Mannophryne olmonae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 June 2015.

Jowers, M.J., Martínez-Solano, I., Cohen, B.L., Manzanilla, J. and Downie, R.J. 2011. Genetic differentiation in the Trinidad endemic Mannophryne trinitatis (Anura: Aromobatidae): Miocene vicariance, in situ diversification and lack of geographical structuring across the island. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 49(2): 133-140.

La Marca, E. 1992. Catalogo taxonomico, biogeografico y bibliografico de las ranas de Venezuela. Cuadernos Geográficos. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela 9: 1–197.

Lehtinen, R.M., Wojtowicz, E.A. and Hailey, A. 2011. Male vocalizations, female discrimination and molecular phylogeny: Multiple perspectives on the taxonomic status of a critically endangered Caribbean frog. Journal of Zoology 283: 117-125.