Yellow-striped pygmy eleuth

The yellow-striped pygmy eleuth (Eleutherodactylus limbatus), also known as the yellow-striped dwarf frog, is a species of frog in the family Eleutherodactylidae from closed mesic and xeric forests in Cuba.

The yellow-striped pygmy eleuth is relatively brightly marked in orange-yellow and among the smallest frogs in the world, up to Template:Cvt in snout–to–vent length with males marginally smaller than females. It is part of a closely related Cuban group that contains five additional described species (E. cubanus, E. etheridgei, E. iberia, E. jaumei and E. orientalis) and at least one undescribed species; most of which are of tiny size, relatively brightly colored and possibly aposematic (at least E. iberia and E. orientalis have alkaloid toxins in their skin). Among these, the yellow-striped pygmy eleuth is unique in being quite widespread in Cuba, whereas the others all have very small ranges in the eastern part of the island.

Mating calls and reproduction

E. limbatus has a very intense mating call, but it is brief (6.9 to 24.8 milliseconds) and high-pitched (6.5 to 8.3 kHz), at a rate of 278 per minute. Female frogs have a single ovary and lay one egg at a time, which is subsequently buried in the ground, where it develops quickly.

A relative comparison of the world's smallest frogs

Habitat

These frogs are found in Cuba at elevations up to 1,150 m above sea level, in closed-canopy mesic and xeric forests. Their distribution is highly fragmented, with the total land area equaling 7,700 mi² (20,000 km²). Within this limited area, though, they are quite numerous.

Further reading

• http://www.globalamphibians.org/servlet/GAA?searchName=Eleutherodactylus+limbatus
• JSTOR 1447647
• http://www.picsearch.com/info.cgi?q=%22Eleutherodactylus%20limbatus%22&id=muntYNdnS5FzF_IYhhwRWo9K6pdfkD-RKQeGjIB4TXQ
• http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=550347
• http://www.eleuthare.com/listae.html