| Gastrotheca phelloderma | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Hemiphractidae |
| Genus: | Gastrotheca |
| Species: | G. phelloderma |
| Binomial name | |
| Gastrotheca phelloderma Lehr and Catenazzi, 2011 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The adult male frog can be as big as 43.8 mm from nose to rear end and the adult female frog can be as big as 57.7 mm long. The head is wider than it is long. The head is as wide as the body is. Frogs in this species can be different colors. One male frog had a cream-white belly with brown spots and other brown marks on its spine. The bottoms of his four feet were yellow. One female frog had a gray-tan back with red-brown lines near her spine. The sides of her body were gray-tan with tiny dark brown spots. She had light green spots on her head. The tops of her feet were red-brown, dark brown, and gray in color. The iris of her eye was red-brown in color with tiny black lines and bronze around the pupil.
Scientists first saw the frog in Pampa de Cuy. This is inside a protected place, Parque Nacional del Rio Abiseo. The frog also lives in Alpamachay, in the Andes Mountains. Scientists have seen the frog between 3,380 m (11,090 ft) and 3,470 m (11,380 ft) above sea level.
The female frog carries her eggs in a bag of skin on her back. The eggs hatch into tadpoles that swim and grow in water. Scientists have seen 45-49 young in one pouch at the same time.
Scientists from the IUCN say this frog is in some danger of dying out. The frogs in Rio Abiseo National Park are safe from humans, but scientists found the dangerous fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on other frogs in the area, so G. phalloderma could be in danger from the disease chytridiomycosis.
