The Cuban small-eared toad (Peltophryne empusa ), also known as the Cuban toad or Cope's Caribbean toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae that is endemic to Cuba including Isla de Juventud.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Jumping (saltation) can be distinguished from running, galloping, and other gaits where the entire body is temporarily airborne by the relatively l...
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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starts withSpecies description of Peltophryne empusa was published by Edward Drinker Cope in 1862 as an addendum to his work entitled "Notes upon some reptiles of the Old World" (reptiles and amphibians were not necessarily considered very distinct at that time):
Peltophryne empusa has a wide but patchy distribution in xeric and mesic lowland forests and savannas of Cuba and the Isla de Juventud to 70 m (230 ft) asl. However, it burrows underground and is rarely seen except during the breeding season when it is abundant. It is an explosive breeder; males call from flooded ditches and large temporary pools of rainwater. Eggs are laid in still water.
Peltophryne empusa is assessed as a vulnerable species because its distribution area is less than 2,000 km² and severely fragmented, and it is affected by habitat loss and degradation caused by agriculture, pollution (pesticides), and the invasive legume Dichrostachys cinerea. However, it occurs in several protected areas.
