Cuban tree frog

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Cuban tree frog
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hylidae
Genus: Osteopilus
Species:
O. septentrionalis
Binomial name
Osteopilus septentrionalis
(Duméril and Bibron, 1841)
Synonyms[3]
  • Hyla lesueurii Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1828
  • Hyla sueurii Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1831
  • Dendrohyas septentrionalis Tschudi, 1838
  • Trachycephalus marmoratus Bibron in De la Sagra, 1840
  • Trachycephalus marmoratus Duméril and Bibron, 1841
  • Hyla septentrionalis Duméril and Bibron, 1841
  • Trachycephalus insulsus Cope, 1863
  • Trachycephalus wrightii Cope, 1863
  • Trachycephalus septentrionalis Barbour, 1904
  • Hyla microterodisca Werner, 1921
  • Hyla septentrionalis septentrionalis Barbour, 1937
  • Hyla dominicensis septentrionalis Mertens, 1938
  • Hyla insulsa Mittleman, 1950
  • Hyla dominicensis insulsa Mittleman, 1950
  • Osteopilus septentrionalis Trueb and Tyler, 1974

The Cuban tree frog, marbled tree toad, or giant tree frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) is a frog. It lives in Cuba, Isla de Pinos, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas. Human beings have brought it to Curacao, Anguilla, Costa Rica Saint Maarten, Saba, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Nevis, Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and the island of Oahu in Hawaii.[3][1][2]

This frog is larger than other frogs in Hylidae. The disks on their toes are also very large. There is no webbed skin on their front feet. There is some webbed skin on their back feet. This frog is usually gray or green in color. Sometimes it is brown or light brown instead.[1]

The female frog lays eggs in temporary bodies of water. The tadpoles grow fast so they become frogs before the water dries up. The tadpoles have round bodies. The skin on their backs is black in color. Parts of their tails are gray-brown in color.[1]

This frog can eat smaller frogs. Because human beings brought it to places where it did not always live, it has become an invasive specie. It eats the frogs that have lived in those places a long time.[1]

A Cuban tree frog with gray skin.

It makes a chemical in its skin that can harm human skin.[1]

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Vance T. Vredenburg (January 18, 2000). Kellie Whittaker (ed.). "Osteopilus septentrionalis: Hispaniolan Laughing Treefrog". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  2. 2.0 2.1 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2022). "Cuban Treefrog: Osteopilus septentrionalis". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 3.1: e.T55811A3032751. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T55811A3032751.en. S2CID 242174025. 55811. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Frost, Darrel R. "Osteopilus dominicensis (Duméril and Bibron, 1841)". Amphibian Species of the World, an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Retrieved September 6, 2022.