Plate 047 · female guarding her school of tadpoles IdentificationFive marks on the plate
- 1Dark pale-rimmed spots in rows along the back.
- 2Dorsal skin folds several pairs, on back and flanks.
- 3Lip without a white stripe, despite the English name.
- 4Visible eardrum behind the eye.
- 5School of tadpoles dark, moving together.
Easily confused with Creole FrogLeptodactylus latransVery similar; telling them apart needs close examination. More to the east and south. Mustached FrogLeptodactylus mystacinusSmaller, with a pale lip stripe. 047 / 100 · AMPHIBIANS · LEPTODACTYLIDAELEAST CONCERN Miranda’s White-lipped Frog
Leptodactylus macrosternum
Rana criolla · Cei’s White-lipped Frog
This is the big frog of the ponds and marshes in the foothills. It lays its eggs in a foam nest floating in very shallow water. In this group of frogs the female often stays by the school of tadpoles and defends it.
- Length
- 6.5 – 9.8 cm
- Altitude
- below 1,000 m
- Nest
- foam, in water under 15 cm deep
- Tadpole
- c. 4 cm
- Foam nest
- Brood care
- Ponds and marshes
- Foothills
Altitude rangeOnly in the lowlands
Known range It lives in pools, ponds and flooded ground below about 1,000 m. In Tucumán it occupies the plains and the foot of the ranges.
FoodEats whatever fits
- Insectsbeetles, crickets, bugs
- Spidersfrom the bank
- Small frogsoccasional prey
- Earthwormsin wet mud
It ambushes prey at the water’s edge. The tadpoles feed together on the bottom.
BehaviourFoam and vigilance
- Foam nest. The pair whips a secretion into a floating foam with the eggs inside.
- Guarding mother. In species of this group the female stays with the school and confronts intruders.
- Calls in the water. Males call from the bank or from in the water.
Where to look in Tucumán- Parque Provincial La Florida
- Quebrada de Lules
- Reserva Experimental Horco Molle