Hispaniolan Ditch Frog
Encyclopedia
The Hispaniolan Ditch Frog (Leptodactylus dominicensis) is a species of frog
in the Leptodactylidae
family.
It is endemic to the Dominican Republic
.
Its natural habitat
s are swamp
s, intermittent freshwater lake
s, and seasonally flooded agricultural land.
It is threatened by habitat loss.
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
in the Leptodactylidae
Leptodactylidae
Leptodactylidae is a diverse family of frogs that probably diverged from other hyloids during the Cenozoic era, or possibly at the end of the Mesozoic. There are roughly 50 genera, one of which is Eleutherodactylus, the largest vertebrate genus, with over 700 species...
family.
It is endemic to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
.
Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s are swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s, intermittent freshwater lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s, and seasonally flooded agricultural land.
It is threatened by habitat loss.
Source
- Hedges, B., Inchaustegui, S., Thomas, R. & Powell, R. 2004. Leptodactylus dominicensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 22 July 2007.